Big Brother
by AcousticLovely
Summary: Kazuto has dealt with many things in the past few years, but he never expected this. Now he has a whole new aspect of his life to figure out. Read & Review!
1. Meeting

**It's been years since I've written something, and it's my first time writing for SAO. But anyways I thought even if I'm a bit rusty I can give it a whirl. This idea just popped into my head one day out of the blue and I wrote it down and just ran with it. It's an abstract idea and this story is going to have some twists and turns but I think it's going to be a good on-going fic. So y'all enjoy!**

 **I do not own SAO.**

Wednesdays were Kazuto's favorite days. They were the days when neither he nor Asuna ever had plans with anyone but each other. There were days when Asuna would prefer to spend in the company of Rika and Keiko and then there were days where she had to study and do homework because she was just that studious. But Wednesdays were always reserved just for him. Sure they'd see each other in school and all and of course the nights where the whole group got together in ALO, but those days could not compare to Wednesdays. Wednesdays were the days she packed lunch for the two of them and they would venture off to their favorite park and spend quality alone time. Ah, yes, Wednesdays were Kazuto's favorite days.

"Kirito? Is something wrong?" Asuna asked from beside him. He stared at her. God she was gorgeous and he was so smitten by her. He shook his head.

"No, not at all. I was just thinking about how perfect today is. It really is a nice day, isn't it?" he said, leaning back to rest on his elbows.

Asuna chuckled. "The weather is always nice this time of year. It makes me think back to that day in SAO when I found you taking a nap under that tree."

"In my defense, you didn't seem to be arguing when you fell asleep yourself." Kazuto shot back. They both laughed at that.

Kazuto couldn't believe that the whole incident in SAO was almost two years behind them. He was turning eighteen in October. It seemed so far away yet almost like a dream now. GGO was over too, but he had honestly left all of that game behind him. Nothing felt more real than almost losing Asuna, twice. That's why he treasured their time together so much. He still felt the need to protect her whenever she was with him. Yui helped a lot too, of course. Seeing her every day in ALO was really the only reason Asuna was able to recover as quickly as she did. No matter how bad things got, when he was with his little family in ALO, it was like nothing else mattered.

"Hey, Kirito… I was thinking and what is going to happen now that we're not in high school anymore? Entrance exams are coming up soon and I don't want us to go to different schools." Asuna looked down, a small but noticeable blush came to her cheeks. Kazuto smiled, of course she would blush over something so silly.

"Yeah, you're right. Well I guess I'll have to study super hard in order to get into whatever University you want to go to." He grinned.

University was, in fact, a thing on his mind. He'd wanted to study virtual software engineering and while he was smart with computers and gaming, he wasn't always the brightest in his classes. He wanted to make sure that he was good enough to pass the entrance exams to whatever school Asuna wanted to go to. He was going to leave that decision up to her, since he didn't want to be anywhere she wasn't.

"I've been thinking about Tokyo U. It's nearby and it has the commerce program that I want to go into." Asuna combed her fingers through her long chestnut colored hair, looking at Kazuto. He just smiled and pecked her cheek.

"I know you'll do great there. Their software engineering program is top notch. I'll admit it's a school I've looked into as well!"

"Thank you, Kirito. You'll do great in their virtual software engineering program, too."

Kazuto couldn't keep himself from smiling. Everything she did made him happy, from her giggle to her inspiring soliloquies and the way she touches her hair when she gets nervous. Asuna noticed the look he was giving her and blushed. Yes, after two years of being in mutual love with him, she still blushed at the little signs of affection that he showed her. After a moment of relishing in her indescribable beauty, Kazuto tilted her chin up and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Asuna Yuuki." He whispered breathlessly as he touched their foreheads together.

"I love you too, Kazuto Kirigaya." She whispered back. Her eyes opened slowly, and upon doing so, she noticed a figure in the distance, watching them. She gasped.

"Kirito! There's… someone watching us." At this, Kazuto whipped around, making eye contact with their observer.

It was a man, seeming to be in his thirties, wearing a tan jacket and dark sunglasses. He was standing about twenty meters away from the couple and had not broken eye contact with Kazuto yet. Instead, he seemed to be analyzing him. Kazuto stood up wearily.

"Kirito, you shouldn't-"

"I'll be fine, Asuna. You stay here, okay? He looks like he wants to talk to me."

Kazuto walked towards the man, being weary of his surroundings. There were a lot of people around, so he doubted the guy would pull something funny in such a crowded area. As he got closer, the man removed his sunglasses and revealed analytical navy eyes. Tied at the nape of his neck was a slick ponytail of raven colored hair, and he looked pretty intimidating. Kazuto gulped as he stood before the stranger.

"Kazuto Kirigaya, I presume?" the man asked, his stance never wavering. Kazuto was taken aback. This guy knew his name? Was he from the government? Did he want more information about SAO?

"Y-yeah. That's me. Do I know you?" The man just smiled.

"No. I'm Kouji Minamoto, a private investigator. Nice to meet you, Kazuto Kirigaya."

A private investigator? But why? And who exactly hired this guy to get a hold of him? Kazuto had so many questions but something told him he wasn't going to get many answers at the present moment. Kouji didn't give him much time to debate.

"I have news to break to you it seems. But since you're still technically a minor I'm going to need you to take me to your parent or legal guardian first before I dispel any information to you." Kouji stated nonchalantly as he made his way towards a sleek black car.

"Well, are you coming? You can bring your little girlfriend if you want. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. If you prefer you could just give me your home address and I will meet you there. Sound good?"

Kazuto only managed a small nod. Kouji needed to tell him something, he was sure of that much. No one had ever cared much about his age though. And he'd wanted to speak to his mom as well. This was certainly new. He supposed he could trust what the man had said, at least for the time being. Kouji handed him a small notepad and paper, and he decided to trust him and wrote down his home address. He would never guess what was going to come next.

Nevertheless, he went back to Asuna and told her word for word what this mysterious man had said and told her that he agreed to meet him back at his house.

"Kirito, this guy is a private investigator! We don't even know who hired him or what he was hired to find out. How can we trust this guy?" Asuna exclaimed. Kazuto nodded, for what she said was true.

"To be honest, I don't have any reason to trust him. But whatever he needs to tell me he needs my mom's permission to do it. So I guess I'll have to find out. Come on, let's get going." He began packing up whatever lunch they had left into the large picnic basket Asuna always brought with them. Asuna only nodded and agreed to accompany him back to his house.

When they arrived at Kazuto's house, the first thing they saw was the familiar sleek black car parked outside his home. He'd gotten there before them, and to Kazuto's best knowledge Kouji was sitting in the living room having tea with his adoptive mother.

"Taidama!" The couple called out simultaneously as they entered the house. Upon taking off their shoes, Kazuto's adoptive mother poked her head out from the living room. Her face was pale and her hands were shaky, obviously nervous about the raven haired man sitting in the living room.

"Kazuto, there is someone here to see you. Kouji is a private investigator and apparently has some information to share." As Kazuto walked into the living space, he noticed Suguha perched on the couch, across from their visitor.

"Auntie, is something wrong?" He asked, his face showing obvious concern.

After finding out that Suguha knew that they were not siblings, he didn't feel the need to call the woman who raised him mom anymore. It never felt right in the first place, so he called her Auntie. He always filled the term with endearment, letting Midori know that she always would be close to him.

Midori sighed, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "No, honey, nothing is wrong. I just never expected to get a visit from someone like him."

Someone like him? Did his Auntie know what was going on, and why Kouji was there? She had a very knowing look on her face, and she seemed very tired and frustrated. Kazuto inwardly worried about the news that was about to be revealed to him.

"Kazuto, over here." Kouji beckoned him to sit in the living room. He had been making polite conversation with Suguha, who also had many questions for him.

Kazuto gulped, but took a seat on the couch next to Suguha, with Asuna on his other side. As if noticing his worry, she held his left hand between both of hers and gave him a reassuring smile. Though Kazuto appreciated the efforts of his girlfriend, he was no less anxious about what Kouji had to say to him.

"So," Kouji started, "I bet you're wondering why I came here, and why I'm asking you to have this chat with me today." Kazuto nodded. "Very well. There is someone who has spent the past year or so in search of you, someone who is close to you."

Kazuto wasn't surprised. With all that happened in SAO, ALO and GGO, it wasn't uncommon for people to have questions or requests for him. He was constantly being sought out by video game companies who wanted to use him for their VRMMO promos. He was well known in the video game community and to the companies, that made him somewhat of a celebrity. Even so, he thought complicatedly, none of them had ever gone through the trouble of hiring a private investigator. The thought of the government passed briefly through his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. If the government needed to get a hold of him, they already knew how.

"So who is it then? I know them?" He asked, genuine curiosity flashing in his eyes. He didn't notice his aunt's alarmed expression when Kouji mentioned this person.

"No, you don't, and that is precisely the problem here." Kouji pulled a thick file from his briefcase and from that he pulled out a thick stack of papers, with a picture on the top. He turned the photo for Kazuto to see. "Tell me, Kazuto, do you recognize this man?"

The man in the photo looked strangely intimidating, but also strangely familiar. Black hair that reached the nape of his neck, and piercing hazel eyes glared up at him from the photo. The photo was taken at an amusement park and a petite blonde was perched on a fence next to the man. Kazuto looked at the picture for a few moments, trying to think of where he might have seen the man before. Realization hit Kazuto like a brick. The man in the photo was a near carbon copy of himself. The man was maybe three or four years older than him and had a more muscular, filled out build in contrast to his own skinny frame, but all the facial features and bone structure were the same. Kazuto gaped up at Kouji.

He heard a soft gasp from behind him. He almost forgot Asuna and Suguha were there with him. Both girls looked to him with open mouths and wide eyes.

"Kirito…" Asuna began, "this man looks just like you. Do you know him?" Kazuto shook his head, he had never seen the man before in his life.

Kouji sat back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. "I see. Well it's not like I expected much more from you, yet I still find myself disappointed."

Kouji thought about the consequences of telling Kazuto about the true identity of the man in the picture. How would he react? Would he feel betrayed? Kouji suddenly felt the need to abandon his mission as a private investigator, but alas he owed a favor to his friend and he promised he would find the boy. He wondered how he would go about telling the boy, and after a moment of thinking, he decided that a slow, yet direct approach was the best way to go.

"Kazuto, you are aware that your grandfather passed away around four years ago?" Kazuto shook his head yes, and Kouji took that as a sign to continue. "Your grandfather was a wealthy man who owned property in the Okijama* district, extensive property might I add. He was quite the kendo champion back in the day, wasn't he? Well when he died many would have assumed the property was left to a successor, and the most plausible heir would be your aunt Midori here." At this, Kazuto looked to his aunt to see that she didn't look to be surprised at all. So she did know something. "Alas, that was not the case. Even though Midori is the most direct heir of your grandfather, there was yet another heir who your grandfather felt closer to, having raised him since his childhood. His eldest grandson, Kaito Kazami, received almost all of your grandfather's inheritance and property."

Kazuto's eyes widened. Asuna let out a soft gasp and Suguha looked completely astounded. Grandfather had another grandson? Suguha looked towards her mother in shock.

"Mom… do I have a brother?" She whispered, unconsciously reaching for Kazuto's arm.

Midori glared at Kouji, whose gaze was cold and unapologetic. How dare he, she thought, wishing the most unpleasant events upon his very existence. He had no right to tell them about Kaito. She had been sworn to secrecy when she received Kazuto at infancy. Her father did not want anyone to know of Kaito's existence, thinking that if Kazuto found out, he'd feel as if his grandfather chose his brother over hnim. Midori turned her frustrated gaze to the floor, instantly regretting letting Kouji into her household. She sighed.

"No, Suguha, you don't have a brother." She turned to look at her nephew, "But Kazuto does."

 **And done! For now at least. I left it at a bit of a cliffhanger but I don't think the next chapter is going to take too long so you all wont have much of a wait! Thanks for the read, reviews are welcome!**

 ***This is a made-up district, a wealthy side of Japan. Think Beverly Hills style.**


	2. Reveal

**Here is Chapter 2! I am going to try and update this story as soon as I can, so keep an eye out for updates!**

 **I don't own anything.**

Silence.

No one said a word for the next few moments, allowing everyone in the room to process what they had just heard. Asuna suddenly felt very invasive, and attempted to excuse herself from the situation, but Kazuto gripped her hand before she could get up. He shot her a look that told her that he needed her, and she was just as much family as anyone else in the room. She sat next to him in complicated silence, not knowing how to process the information they had all just received. More so than that, she worried about how Kazuto was taking the news. He had a brother that he wasn't allowed to know about.

Midori spoke up once again. "You weren't allowed to know about Kaito. You were never supposed to find out, Kazuto. I was sworn to secrecy by your grandfather when I adopted you as an infant. He never gave me the direct reason why, but he kept Kaito in his custody while you were put into mine. He told me that you would never know of your brother, and that when you turned 18 you would receive a portion of your parent's life insurance and inheritance. That must be what Mr. Minamoto is here for, isn't it Kouji?"

Kouji thought about this. "Well yes, he does receive his inheritance when he turns 18, but I believe that's a matter for an attorney, and I am just a PI, hired to come here and find Kazuto Kirigaya."

"Why…" Kazuto whispered, bringing everyone's attention to him. He turned his gaze on Kouji, "Why are you telling me this now? If he was meant to be kept a secret why do I have to know now?"

Kouji smirked. "Well just because you never knew of Kaito didn't mean that he didn't know of you. Your brother, from what I've heard, has been quite persistent on finding you for most of his life. Of course while your grandfather was alive, he did everything in his power to prevent that from happening. When your grandfather passed, the inheritance and life insurance of your parents was claimed by Kaito, and with no one left to stop him, he hired me to find you."

By the end of his speech, Kouji had a sincere smile on his face. He felt for the boy, and while knowing Kaito most of his life, he knew that Kaito would be ecstatic to know that his brother had been found.

Kazuto looked hesitant, and held onto Asuna's hand to keep her next to him. This was some REALLY big news. He had a brother?! A brother that he was never intended to know about? It all seemed insane. Though the more he thought about it, the more the facts seemed to add up in Kazuto's mind. Whenever his grandfather came to visit, he rarely stayed for longer than a couple of days, and when he was there, he and his aunt would speak in hushed voices late at night. Kazuto had once wondered what it was that they talked about, but now he doesn't even have to ask. They kept his only immediate family member from him. So now he knows that he has a long lost brother that has spent all his life wanting to meet him, and now does he finally have the chance. He voiced this thought to Kouji.

"Hm. Well I suppose that would make the most sense, after all it'd be pointless of me to come all this way to find you only for you to not come back with me. What do you say? Shall we jet off tomorrow?" Kouji replied, packing up his briefcase.

Suguha was happy for her cousin. In the past few years, she'd stopped thinking about Kazuto as her brother and at once she'd gone so far as falling in love with him, but that all changed and she eventually got over it and understood that Kazuto would forever love Asuna and no one else. The two cousins still remained close and Kazuto still treated her like a little sister even though she was almost seventeen. She herself didn't know about this other cousin of hers and she wanted to meet him as well. However, there was something about that photo that seemed oddly familiar. She couldn't help but have her suspicions that she'd seen the man somewhere before.

Kouji and Kazuto had finished their conversation and Kouji was turning to leave, but was stopped by a sudden exclamation.

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned to look at Suguha, who had made the unnecessary exclamation. Her face reddened instantly and she pardoned the action.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just… can I see that picture again?" she asked, pointing to the now-closed briefcase in Kouji's hands.

Kouji raised an eyebrow, but pulled the picture from his briefcase and handed it to Suguha. She looked it over, eyes widening as realization hit. The others in the room looked at her curiously. Suguha gasped and immediately dashed up to her room.

She'd seen him somewhere. She knew she'd seen him somewhere. Rummaging through all her magazines, she found the one she was looking for. It was one of those teeny bop magazines that she would, under normal circumstances, never admit that she had. There was no way she'd tell Kazuto that she spent many nights sighing and daydreaming about the man on one certain cover of this magazine. The man on the cover of the magazine looked just like the one in the photo that Kouji had just given her, and posing beside him on the cover was the same petite blonde that Suguha should have recognized before. That was his girlfriend, of course, but there was something about her that was much more familiar. The man's girlfriend was named Rima Mikasa, an up and coming pop star that was climbing her ranks to being the top idol in Japan. The man on the cover himself, however, was already making a name for himself in alternative music. The man Suguha recognized to be her cousin, Kaito Kazami.

She dashed down the stairs and thrust the magazine and the photo into Kouji's hands. He looked at the magazine, surprise overcoming his features at first, but melting into pure amusement. He laughed out loud at the cover of the magazine.

"Haha! Oh man, he is not going to be happy when they see this. You'd think his publicist would have prevented such an unrefined shot of him." He wiped the tears from his eyes, and then turned back to Suguha, "You caught that. I thought he was only famous locally but it looks like he's risen in popularity."

Kazuto was confused and frustrated. He hadn't been shown the magazine yet and wondered what in the world Suguha had that was so relevant. When Kouji was done laughing and had snapped a photo in his phone, he handed the magazine over to Kazuto. Kazuto looked at the cover in shock. The photo was quite obviously taken without the subject knowing. And the subject was his brother! The headline read "Okijama District Rockstar attends Japan Music Awards with Celebrity Girlfriend in tow." His brother… was a rock star? He tried thinking of when the last time he was caught up in the latest music trends and that must have been before SAO because the name Kaito Kazami would have been familiar to anyone who was. And the girl, Rima Mikasa, he hadn't heard of her either. Just how long had it been since he's been caught up with pop culture?

"So Kaito is…" Kazuto started, looking bemused at the even bigger news that he just received. Not only did he have a brother now, but his brother was famous!

"An idol. A very accomplished one at that." Kouji finished for him. "He's been practically everywhere lately, touring the north and hosting music festivals. I wouldn't be surprised if you had never heard of him, but of course when you didn't recognize the photo I showed you I figured you had no idea. He's just expanding his music to become a national celebrity."

Asuna looked dazed. All of this was becoming too much for her. She and Kazuto had just begun to settle down and enjoy a normal couple life, but now this? She didn't know how to take it. Kazuto had so many questions, and there were so few of them that Kouji could actually answer. And Kaito wanted to meet his brother, and that could go so many ways. Asuna genuinely worried about how the situation was going to turn out.

"Asuna…" Kazuto started, turning to her. "I think I need some time alone to think about stuff. Can I call you later?"

Asuna couldn't say no as he offered his most sincere smile to her. She knew this had to be the hardest on him. She vaguely wondered if felt any betrayal from Midori or even his own brother for not finding him sooner, but even she thought Kazuto would be more happy than upset to find out that he had a brother. Asuna would always worry about her Kirito, but she understood that while he may be really happy to know that he had a brother who cared about him and wanted to meet him, he still needed time to think, especially if he was going to meet Kaito. With a smile, she kissed her beloved on the cheek and began to make her way home. She was sure he'd be alright by himself for the meantime, and she was beginning to feel the slightest bit intrusive again.

Meanwhile, Kazuto was ecstatic, he had a family member that was closer than he could have ever imagined. "I'm going to meet him tomorrow?" he asked Kouji.

"Yes, if that is alright with your guardian." Midori nodded at this.

"It'll be fine." She said, "He'll love you, Kazuto. I'm sure he already does."

Kazuto sent his aunt a wide grin and turned to the PI once more. "When should I be ready?"

Kouji smirked. "I'll pick you up at 9am tomorrow morning. You might want to get packing; I'm guessing you'd like to stay for more than just a day. Oh and tell your little girlfriend to be ready too. I'm sure Kai would love to meet her."

Asuna was invited too? Kazuto smiled, for tomorrow he would meet his big brother and he would have Asuna by his side. He bounded up the stairs to his room and quickly sent Asuna a text informing her that she was to be ready and at his side by 9am tomorrow morning. He waited eagerly for her reply and was not disappointed when she replied saying that she'll be packed and ready for the upcoming morning.

A thought came to Kazuto and he suddenly began to panic. What if Kaito didn't like him? What if he was disappointed? What if he didn't like Asuna? He thought about it and considered the first two, but downright laughed at the last. Who didn't love Asuna? He couldn't think of a single soul in the world that could express distaste towards his girlfriend. He knew Kaito would love her, because everyone did.

As he began packing, he briefly wondered how long they'd be staying at the Kazami residence. It seemed like it was too good to be true. He had a brother that NO ONE bothered to tell him about and he was about to meet him. What would he be like? Would he like games? So many questions passed through Kazuto's mind as he focused on throwing nearly his entire closet into the already over-packed suitcase. Toiletries? Check. Shirts? Check. Pants? Check. Shorts? Well he heard it was quite sunny in the Okijama district so check. Shoes? He looked towards his feet at the only shoes he owned at the moment, plain black sneakers. Well they'll have to do. He even packed a pair of swim trunks in case they felt like going swimming. It never hurts to be prepared, right?

Meanwhile Asuna's brain was fried after the day she had. Her boyfriend had a brother that he never knew about that was rich and famous. And she was going to meet him the next day! Asuna began to whine under all of the pressure. Kaito's life was so glamorous and cool and she was sure his girlfriend Rima was too. There was no way she'd be up to par with those guys. Kazuto was guaranteed acceptance anyways because he was family, but she wasn't. Would they even like her? Would they think she was some lowly peasant and force Kazuto to break up with her?

… No way. Kazuto would never break up with her. They shared a bond unlike any other and they remained dedicated and loyal to one another ever since they got back from the virtual world. Asuna sighed again and threw herself on her queen sized bed. She had to start packing soon or she wouldn't get any sleep! She walked over to her closet and brought out her medium sized suitcase.

"Hm. I should probably pack all of my cutest outfits since I'm meeting famous idols." She mused.

Thus the packing and repacking began. She didn't know how long they were going to be there or how much they would be doing, but she managed to put together an assortment of outfits good for any occasion. She doubted she'd need any winter gear since the Okijama district was more on the tropical side. Oh maybe they'd get to go to the beach! She packed her cutest red and white bikini just in case. She paused and then blushed. Kazuto had once said he loved how she looked in that bikini. Oh how he still made her blush with those comments!

Asuna knew why he'd taken to making comments like that and why he insisted on making her blush. She was eighteen now, and Kazuto would be too in a few months. And it wasn't like what happened that night in SAO didn't loom over their heads constantly. She had been so sure of herself then! She guessed it was because it was a virtual experience and the two of them had just gotten all of their emotions and feelings out in the open that they both had the confidence to do what they did. But now all of that was over and it was just the two of them, and they loved each other to no end so it should all be simple right? There should be no hesitation or worries when it came to Kazuto, even though it would still technically be their first time. She knew she had to make a decision, or at least talk this over with her boyfriend. He would know exactly what to say to make her feel better.

Once she was done packing she informed her parents on where she would be for the next few days or so. Her dad adored Kazuto, though her mom was still skeptical and wanted her daughter to marry into a rich family. Oh how she would be in for a surprise once she found out how wealthy Kazuto's brother was. They told her it was fine if she went as long as she contacted them every single day and let them know she was doing alright.

Asuna went back to her room to confirm her plans with Kazuto. Midori would pick her up at about eight thirty (normally Kazuto would have picked her up but gods she hated that motorbike and the suitcase wouldn't fit on the bike). Midori would also make them breakfast and then Kouji would come at nine o'clock to take them to the airport. It all seemed set and done and she couldn't wait to meet the older brother of her boyfriend. It was all too exciting!

As she tucked herself into bed, she allowed herself to imagine having Kaito as a brother-in-law. She blushed at the thought. It was too early to be thinking of marriage! Well, she might as well go to sleep, for she didn't want to meet Kaito and Rima with bags under her eyes.

 **And that is it for this chapter. For some reason it feels a bit short, but there wasn't as much dialogue. There will be far more action in the next chapter. I put more Asuna in this chapter too, because she is super relevant! Thank you all for reading, reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Preparations

**Hello again! It's been a while since this has been updated, and I am sorry I promise to try and get better! So let's move on to chapter 3!**

 **Still don't own SAO.**

When Kaito heard word from Kouji later on that night, he couldn't believe his ears. Kouji not only managed to find his little brother, but had talked to him and revealed their relationship! _I hope he's not going to charge me extra, oh what the hell, he deserves it._ Kouji then went on to tell him that he needed the jet so he could take Kazuto to meet him, which of course he agreed. He waited for so long, and after a year of searching he finally found his only remaining family member.

Kouji had also mentioned his aunt and cousin, with whom Kazuto resided with. He supposed that made sense, though he never even knew he had an aunt. Apparently his mom and aunt never interacted much when he was little so he never met her. When his grandfather refused to tell him where Kazuto was, he had been beyond livid. Even in his dying moments that selfish old man wouldn't tell him where his brother was. Of course, he still didn't know the reason why his grandfather would want to keep his only brother from him, but nevertheless he was glad he was finally given the opportunity to meet him.

"Rima! I have great news!" he called to his girlfriend. She was perched on the couch reading a novel, but she looked back at him with big curious green eyes.

Rima Mikasa was a petite woman. She was now twenty three years of age and stood at a full height of five feet and one inch. And she was damn proud of that one inch! Her now honey colored hair fell down to her back in large waves and she had large expressive green eyes. She looked young, still resembling a teenager in some aspects, but she glowed with maturity and responsibility while not letting go of her fun side. She was a Japanese idol, having fun was in the job description!

"What is it, love?" She replied curiously. Kaito beamed back at her.

"We have to prepare the estate, Kouji found my brother and he's bringing him tomorrow! His name is Kazuto and he's even bringing his girlfriend! Isn't that wonderful?"

As Kai proceeded to relay to her everything that Kouji had told him, Rima looked unsure. Kai looked so eager to meet his little brother, but there were so many ways the situation could play out. She was sure Kazuto was a nice kid, but to be thrown into the situation so suddenly seemed like a bit of a risk. Not to mention Kazuto probably won't be expecting the different lifestyle that she and Kai were already used to.

"Kai, honey." Kaito paused. She only ever called him honey when she felt something would be difficult for him to understand. "Have you thought about the kind of lifestyle you're asking your brother to accept? He lives at home with your aunt and cousin. Do you think he'd like the busy superstar life that we're still growing accustomed to?"

Kaito thought about it. He was rather busy these days, with the record label and rehearsals and band practice, he wasn't sure he'd be able to make time for his brother even for a few days. But he did want to meet his brother and make him a part of his life. He'd put so much energy into finding him there was no way he would just give up at the last moment.

"What if we took them with us and gave them a taste of the glamorous or not so glamorous life? Let them decide if it's too overwhelming." Kai suggested.

Rima pondered this for a moment. That wouldn't be such a bad idea, to let the two decide on their own if they wanted to stay or if they were too overwhelmed. She herself had pretty much grown up in the spotlight so when she was signed and performing for mass audiences it was no big deal to her. But for Kazuto…

"I don't know Rima, but from what Kouji tells me it seems like Kazuto might already have some media experience. I was never into video games or VRMMOs but Kouji said Kazuto played a big role in the death game crisis a few years back." Kai said, looking up from his text messages.

Rima grew curious so she pulled her laptop onto her lap and began searching Kaito's mysterious little brother. Over one thousand results popped up after she typed "Kazuto Kirigaya" into the search bar.

She laughed. "Kai why did we bother hiring Kouji to find him when all we had to do was Google the kid? He has at least a thousand hits. Turns out he's a celebrity in the VRMMO community. He beat the death game Sword Art Online and uncovered secrets about Alfheim Online. He even made quite a reputation in Gun Gale Online. Did you ever know your brother was so accomplished?"

Kai was shocked. His little brother beat the death game crisis, and on top of that made a name for himself in two other games? A flash of pride burst through him as he took all of that in, immediately followed by panic.

"The death game?!" he exclaimed, wide eyes on his girlfriend. "Why was he involved?! He could have died in there!"

"Aww that's cute hun. You're already worrying about this mysterious little brother of yours that you haven't even met yet." Rima cooed.

Kai blushed. "I can't help it. I know he's almost technically an adult but I haven't seen him since he was a baby."

"You were both technically babies when you last saw him." Rima pointed out. Her eyes widened in realization. "Hey, have you told Tommy about your brother coming to visit."

Kai's brow furrowed in confusion. "No, do I need to?"

Rima just shrugged. "He's your protégé. I just thought he had the right to know, he's been like a little brother to you ever since he took up music."

Kai thought about it. Tomoki Himi was his little protégé, or not so little anymore. He was about Kazuto's age and he took him into his mentorship when Tommy was a freshman in high school. The boy was a lanky kid with lean muscle. He had pale skin and light brown hair that he kept short and messy and dark eyes. Over the years he and Tommy had grown close, and he began treating him as if he were his own little brother. Kai could understand why Tommy would want to know, and he wanted to assure him that even though Kazuto was his biological brother, Tommy would never lose his spot in his heart.

"I'll give him a call later. He probably won't mind too much though." He said finally.

Kai spent the remainder of the day preparing the house for his little brother's arrival. He had to make sure everything was to his liking, even making sure to buy an Amusphere for Kazuto to enjoy once he got there. He had begged Kouji to ask for a list of favorite foods so he could be well stocked when Kazuto arrived, but the private investigator merely laughed through the phone and told him to figure it out for himself. Hoping that he and Kazuto shared similar tastes, he stocked the fridge with his own favorite foods and some commonly known favorite foods.

Kouji had said that he would be flying out at around 10 in the morning, so he estimated that the group would arrive at around noon. He woke up early the next morning to make sure the whole estate was clean and that Kazuto and Asuna's bedroom was well prepared.

Speaking of Asuna, he had heard a lot about the girl from Kouji. She apparently was super close to Kazuto and they began dating while they were both trapped in the death game. The thought of Kazuto having a serious relationship so young reminded him of when he and Rima began dating. They were sophomores in a prestigious music high school and were friends when they were twelve. Their friends dubbed them the "cutest couple" right up until they were seniors and actually won the superlative. Kai was happy for his little brother to have his first love already, and such a serious one at that. He was genuinely excited to meet the young woman that his little brother has fallen for.

"Oohhh Kai I'm so excited! When was the last time we had actual guests in this house?" Rima exclaimed once they finished everything.

Kai sighed, "That'd be last week love, when we had Sam and Bryan spend the week here because their apartment was being renovated."

Rima laughed. She and Kai had a very enthusiastic group of friends. They were all very close, and it was no secret that their estate was in fact the main hangout for the group.

"Do you think Kazuto and Asuna will like our friends, hun?" the small blonde asked.

"I think so. I mean sure they're a bit eccentric and all but they mean well, I just hope they don't overwhelm them." Kai shrugged.

"Overwhelm who?" came a new voice. Kai and Rima turned to the source.

Rima squealed. "Ami! You did come!" She giggled, running up and hugging the taller woman.

Ami Yasuni was a young, very accomplished music producer and emcee. She was on the taller side and had platinum blonde hair that reached her shoulders. By her side was the ever so infamous Kyo Takasa, who was known for his lively acoustic albums and British accent, as well as his established criminal record. Coming to music from a life of gangs, he already had quite the reputation run up in the Okijama district; luckily he came across the Yasuni heiress, Ami, who showed him her passion for music. Soon after, he fell in love with both Ami and the acoustic guitar.

Ami giggled back at Rima while Kai and Kyo exchanged what they called a "bro hug".

"Actually we brought everyone." said Kyo.

And thus, everyone came forth. The entire group of friends, and then some burst through the front doors and made themselves comfy in the Kazami living room. First, there were the rowdy twins, Bryan and Samantha Hollis, who were American. They were raised in Los Angeles until they were ten and then they moved to Japan to live with their grandmother while still pursuing their passion for dance and hip hop music. Had they not been born a boy and a girl, they would have been identical. Both have fair skin, chocolate brown hair and reddish brown eyes.

Next, there was Marina Hakashi, or Mari for short. She was a petite auburn haired girl who loved to write songs and sing them earnestly. She's always attended prestigious art schools and is known for her extensive knowledge of musical instruments and art. Then there was Justin and John Aksin, cousins from America. While Justin had a more lean build and tan skin, and John had a large build and pale skin, both cousins shared a set of icy blue eyes and pale blonde hair. They've only lived in Japan for around 4 years and were novelists.

"So anyways, who is this that we're not supposed to overwhelm Kai?" asked Sam, jutting her hip out and placing her hand on it.

Kaito uncharacteristically blushed, "Well, yesterday I got news from Kouji…"

Everyone simultaneously got wide eyed. Justin was the first to speak.

"You… you found him?"

Kaito averted his eyes, "Yeah, he found him earlier today. And he's agreed to come over and visit for a few days. He's bringing his girlfriend, too."

"OH MY GODDDDD WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING KAAAAIIIIII!" exclaimed Bryan, who had begun pulling at his long brown hair.

"I didn't know if he'd end up meeting you guys! Sorry!" Kai tried to reason. The others were hearing none of it though.

"Of course we're gonna meet him!"

"We're like your family, Kai!"

"This is so exciting! How could you keep this from us?!"

Rima was growing more agitated by the second as her friends continued to scream. "GUYS!" she shouted.

Everyone paused to look at her as she continued. "We didn't tell you because we knew you guys would overwhelm him, alright? He's just a kid from Tokyo, we don't even know if he wants a life like this or even to be involved with people like us. He just wants to come and meet his brother, who he didn't even know existed. I think it should be a special moment for them, and they shouldn't have to share that moment if they don't want to."

Kaito looked towards his girlfriend with misty eyes, and reached to pull her into him. "Thanks, love." He whispered into her hair.

Bryan wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "That was so touching Rima." He said before snickering.

Kaito glared, "You're an ass, you know that?"

Everyone laughed at Bryan's expense. Ami was the first to recover. "I guess you're right, Rima. We can be a little overwhelming but that's just who we are. I guess we don't have to meet him if you guys don't feel comfortable with it. We got a bit excited because it's another opportunity to make friends, but you're right. This is an opportunity for Kai and his brother to connect, so that's the priority." She said soberly.

Rima smiled, "Thanks, Ami. It's not really up to me though, if Kai is okay with his brother meeting you all, then I'm sure we could all hang out. What do you think, Kai?"

The raven haired man shrugged, "I was just thinking of how fun it would be to take him to The Band Hall…"

The Band Hall was an exclusive club in the northwest side of the Okijama district. It was beachside and secluded so only a few people knew where it was and fewer could actually get in. The club itself was run by the twins Bryan and Samantha Hollis, who were dead set on making it the hottest club and bar in Japan, which it was well on its way to being. It was often the place where the most accomplished bands and artists debut certain songs and albums. There were also plenty of tables and booths and a special VIP area that the twins had made just for their extended group of friends. There was a full bar open to anyone that was of age, as well as one of the largest dance floors in Japan. It didn't need to be said that that was the group's go-to weekend adventure.

Rima stared wide-eyed at her boyfriend. Did he really want to expose Kazuto to that level of shinnanigans? Usually when they all went they got blackout drunk and the limo driver took them all back to the estate where they binged on donuts at 3am.

"I want him to get the full experience before he gets to decide if he likes it or not? Plus, it would be fun, even if just for one night." Kai smiled.

Rima sighed and looked around the room, noticing that everyone there was wearing the same mischievous smirk, including her boyfriend. Giving into their antics, she herself acquired a smirk upon her lips.

 **And there you have it! This chapter was more character development on Kai's part, and you got to meet all of my OC's! I think they're all pretty great. Also I don't own the character names Tomoki Himi or Kouji Minamoto, if any of you guys know where they're from, I just thought it'd be cool to throw them in there. Eeeep they finally meet next chapter! Reviews are welcome!**

 **Love you all, xoxo.**


	4. Travel

**Here is the new chapter! Sorry it took so long, I've had a busy month or so preparing for college and all. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Still don't own SAO.**

In the morning, Kazuto awoke with the brightest of smiles on his face. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but who could? He spent most of the night looking up Kaito Kazami's music videos. There were a few in particular he loved, and he appreciated that he and his brother shared the same music taste. Kazuto's favorite song of his brother's was "Start a fire". It was an alternative rock song, and the music video was edgy. He liked the song so much, in fact, he played it as he began to get dressed and ready for the day.

 _I remember when you said your father's asleep…_

 _I remember swimming as our clothes drifted off to sea…_

Kazuto mouthed the words as he got dressed, bumping his head along to the beat as he did. He remembered listening to this type of music before SAO, and how he'd sort of lost his taste in music while he was involved with SAO. He was glad he was able to still enjoy songs like this, and even better, his own brother was singing them.

 _So wake up, wake up dreaming_

 _And lie here with me_

 _Wake up, wake up dreaming,_

 _And lie here with me…_

Kazuto paused as he heard knocking at the door, momentarily stepping to his computer to turn the song off. As much as he loved listening to his brother's music, he didn't necessarily want everyone to know he'd been obsessing over it for the past eight hours. That'd be embarrassing.

"Kazuto, it's me." came a deep voice from the other side of the door.

"Coming!" said Kazuto, pulling on his socks.

He opened the door to reveal Kouji, a small smirk resting on the man's face.

"I knew you'd look him up. I like his music myself, though I prefer metal," said the raven haired man "anyways, are you ready to go?"

Kazuto just grinned and grabbed his suitcase. Morning had finally come and he was more than ready to meet this long lost family member of his. He had spent the time to make sure he was mentally well prepared for anything his brother might say or think of him. He already had figured that Kaito probably wasn't into gaming, but Kazuto had full intentions of introducing him to his virtual daughter, Yui. Speaking of her, he hadn't yet mentioned that he had a brother to her. He supposed she wouldn't mind too much, as she was very open minded and loved making new friends. She took to Leafa instantly, calling her Auntie Leafa when she found out she was Kazuto's little sister. Ah, yes, his daughter was truly a treasure. He was sure Kazuto would be ecstatic about meeting her.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Kazuto was pleasantly surprised by a greeting from his girlfriend, whom had been picked up earlier that morning. _Oh shit,_ Kazuto thought, _I must have woken up later than I thought. Were they all waiting for me?_ He looked at the clock, which read 10:23. Okay, so it wasn't too late, but Asuna had probably been there for a while. Kazuto blushed, embarrassed that he'd made his girlfriend wait with Midori, Kouji, and Sugu for an hour or so.

"Okay," he said "I'm ready!"

And after some heartfelt goodbyes, as well as a small breakfast packed by Midori, the three piled into a black stretch limo and headed towards the airport.

Kazuto was, at the very least, surprised at the size of the private jet they would be taking to Okijama. It was huge! He knew his brother was rich from the inheritance, but he didn't know that he had even more money acquired from superstardom.

Seeing her boyfriend's gaping jaw, Asuna giggled. "I'm guessing you've never been in one of these, huh?"

Kazuto shook his head, "I've been on a private jet once, but it was nowhere near this big."

Asuna smiled. Kazuto was truly a delight, and a pleasant breath of fresh air compared to all of the stuck up snobs her mother tried to set her up with. Those guys didn't know the meaning of the word modesty. One of them went so far as to try to take her to his private island on his private yacht, thinking he would get to sleep with her afterwards, the nerve! Kazuto was a million times better than all of them. He may not have all the money in the world, but he had the biggest heart and always knew how to make her smile.

Now Kazuto wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned the jet was huge. In the front there were plush couches, with seatbelts, lined up against the wall with a mini bar filled with bottles of champagne. Towards the back there was a smaller bedroom style cabin, similar to what one would see in train cabins, except the bed was full sized and there was a HD flatscreen TV mounted across from it. There was even a small wardrobe. Just who needed this much space in a jet anyways?!

Kouji seemed to be reading his mind. "Kai and some of the others use this particular jet when they travel out of the country. Long flights like those require a particular level of comfort. They don't use it often though, so consider yourselves 'hooked up' being that we'll only be flying for a couple of hours," then he smiled, "I think Kai must really be trying to impress you."

Kazuto frowned. His brother shouldn't be trying to impress him. Hell, he finds himself lucky to even have a brother. Sugu was great to have around, and he was thankful to have her too, but it wasn't the same to him. Having a brother would mean that he finally had a connection to his mom and dad. He spent so long avoiding thoughts of them because he knew it would only frustrate him. All he ever knew about his mom were the anecdotes Midori sometimes told about how the two of them were when they were little. But those opportunities were few and far between. He knew less about his father, as Midori never spoke of him. But meeting Kai would change all of that, and he would have someone to actually connect with.

It was a good two hours or so when they landed in the Okijama district of Japan, which was located in the southwestern tip of Japan*. When Kazuto first stepped out of the jet, the first thing he noticed was that it was very _warm_. It certainly was not the weather he was used to having in Tokyo. As he looked down at his outfit, he figured that his choice of attire, namely the _color_ of said attire, would certainly not do in the tropical heat of southern Japan. Asuna looked just as warm, pulling at the collar of her blue polo.

"Welcome to Okijama, kiddos." Said Kouji, as he waved them over to grab their luggage.

After they gathered their things, they set out to the front of the airport where a lean, tanned blonde man stood holding a sign that read _Kazuto Kirigaya and Girlfriend._ Kazuto looked to his left, where he supposed Kouji was supposed to be standing, but alas, the older man was nowhere in sight. With a sweatdrop he looked, dumbfounded, at his girlfriend to the right of him, who simply smiled and shrugged and began making her way to the blonde guy across the street. Dumbly, Kazuto followed her.

When they reached the man across the street, they were met with a broad, cheeky smile and a loud "HELLO KAZUTO AND GIRLFRIEND!"

Startled, Kazuto replied. "Uh, hi. I'm Kazuto Kirigaya, and this is my girlfriend Asuna." He pointed to her. The blonde dude was kind of creepy in Kazuto's opinion. Just what was he anyways? He was sure Kouji never mentioned such a person picking them up from the airport. "I suppose you were sent here to take us to my brother? Are you his butler or something?"

At that, the man looked utterly offended. "BUTLER?! What the fuck?! I'm one of his fucking bestest friends!" he shouted, startling the two teens with his elaborate vocabulary.

The man continued to rant. "I mean _jeez_ I'm only Justin Aksin, one of the youngest successful journalists and novelists in the southern Japan region as well as America. Haven't you read my works? I did a splendid commentary on the VRMMO community and how it helps develop the creativity in young teens! It was on the news! I got an award for that shit! I mean-"

"Excuse me!" Asuna exclaimed, cutting the older man off, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt. You said you're Justin Aksin right? I'm sorry I must have not recognized your face, but I know your work! I love your novel _Midnight Rising_ , it was beautiful."

Justin blushed. As much as he liked talking about his work, it's not often he met someone who actually praised it right in front of him.

"Wait a second, you know him?" Kazuto said, surprised. Asuna nodded.

"Yeah I've read a lot of his novels." She replied simply.

"Okay! Well enough idle chit chat for today, my friends! We've got places to be and people to meet!" and with that, Justin grabbed Asuna's suitcase and headed towards what was yet another limousine. Justin seemed to have recovered from Asuna's comment.

The two followed him into the deep forest green limousine and marveled at how big the car was on the inside. Justin waved to the driver and they were soon on their way to Kaito Kazami's infamous estate.

"I suppose you two should get comfortable, it'll be about an hour before we actually get there. Kai's property is beachside and secluded so it's pretty far from the city." informed Justin.

As they passed through some of the busiest boulevards of the Okijama district, Asuna was amazed by the beauty of the area. Everyone was dressed in designer clothes and walking expensive looking puppies. The beach was to the right of them and it shined in all its crystal blue glory. Asuna sighed. Though she was rich back in Tokyo, this place was just so glamorous. Her mother would never allow her to wear the cute, albeit skimpy looking, outfits that the girls here were wearing! The people here probably got to go to concerts and parties and do so many fun things. Her parents would never allow her to act so unladylike.

Meanwhile, Kazuto daydreamed about what his brother would be like. Would he be dark and mysterious? Would he be friendly and outgoing? Or would he be shy and sincere? As much research as he'd done on Kaito, he could never be sure of his brother's true self until he met him personally. He knew that he had good taste in music, that his girlfriend is one of the top idols in Japan, and that they looked similar, but there had to be more that he could learn about him.

Other than a short Q&A between the three, the remainder of the drive had been silent, with the two jetlagged passengers taking a nap most of the way. Justin smiled gently, remembering how Kaito insisted on being the one to pick the two up from the airport. Justin and the others, however, were convinced that it would make for a better surprise if one of them were to pick the two up. So far he wasn't displeased with them either. They were polite, excited, and even though they seemed nervous, he was sure they'd have a lot of fun.

When Kazuto awoke, he blinked blearily until he could clearly see his girlfriend smiling down at him, her straight hair falling around her head like a chestnut halo. He smiled and kissed her nose as he rose up slowly. Looking to his left, he noticed Justin was on his phone, typing away on the touch screen device. As if noticing him, Justin smiled slyly and put his phone away.

"We're almost there. It'll be another ten minutes or so until we get to the estate. In the meantime, why don't we listen to some music?" he smirked. Then he turned a dial on the ceiling of the limo and a familiar tune rang through the speakers.

 _Here we go!_

 _Just lose control and let your body give in_

 _To the beat of your heart as my hand touches your skin_

 _Is this love?_

 _Or… just sexual desire…_

 _We're gonna start a fire!_

Justin's smirk never died as he watched Kazuto get into the song. The raven haired boy mouthed the words of the chorus whilst nodding his head to the music. Even Asuna noticed her boyfriend's jovial excitement about the song playing. She didn't even have to guess the artist.

Kazuto was quite sure this was his favorite song, nearly belting out the lyrics without taking notice of the small audience around him. Asuna giggled, watching her boyfriend belt out the chorus was by far one of the most interesting things she had seen in her lifetime. She liked seeing him like this, because sometimes she found he took himself too seriously.

It wasn't long before they pulled up to the front gates of the estate, which had large cast-iron bars and a golden "K" crest in the center. Beyond that was a lush garden with large trees, fresh summer fruits ready to picked, and an array of the most exotic and beautiful flowers either of them had ever seen.

"He… He lives here?" Kazuto asked, astonished.

Justin shot him an incredulous look. "Well, duh. We did tell you he's rich, right? I mean all of us have money, but the combined inheritance and the money he makes from his tours and shows, he has more money than each of us."

Kazuto vaguely wondered what Justin had meant by _us_ , but decided not to question him further as they pulled into a large, circular driveway. From there, they got a spectacular view of the house. Well actually, it was difficult for Kazuto to call a house. His home certainly was a house, and even Asuna's home was still, to an extent, a house. But this gargantuan of a building, was definitely _not_ a house.

It was a dark green in color, and in a way resembled a dojo. It was only one story, but Kazuto had no doubt that the mansion took up a few acres itself. It stretched almost as far and wide as he could see left and right. He could just barely make out the edge of a marble path that led to a swimming pool on the far left end of the house. There was a fountain in the center of the circular driveway with two samurai's in the center.

Even Asuna had to admit she was intimidated by the estate. She'd definitely seen her fair share of mansions and estates, but none of them had been as unique and gorgeous as this one. Her own home was bland and boring in comparison to the exotic estate she was in front of.

"Well don't just sit there gawking, you two! Kai and Rima are excited to meet you!" Justin exclaimed from the passenger doorway, suitcases on either side of him. He had taken the time they'd spent staring to gather their things from the trunk and open their door.

At that, Kazuto grinned and stepped out of the limo.

 **And that is it! Please review!**


	5. Reunion

**Ah, yes the long awaited fifth chapter has arrived! My sincerest apologies for how long this took, I just started my first semester of college and it's a lot to keep up with. But it is here!**

 **THE TWO BROTHERS ARE FINALLY GOING TO MEET**

To Kazuto's disappointment, no spectacular reunion awaited him the moment he stepped out of the overly extravagant limousine. No one awaited him at the doorway with a large smile like he expected. The large oak doors were closed and no one stood in front of them to greet him. He would not allow this to deter his happiness though! His brother had waited years to meet him, so he had to be excited now that the day had finally come, right? Well, at least he hoped so. Just as his confidence was faltering, an unfamiliar beep sounded from behind him. He turned around to see Justin pulling a sleek black phone from his pocket

"Ah, sorry about this. It seems in their excitement to meet you, Rima slipped and bumped her head. Yeah, she's a clumsy one. They're in the infirmary inside, and Kai says just to come on in!" said Justin, looking up from his phone.

Asuna had to stifle her giggles at the news. Who knew a pop star could be clumsy? It was hard to imagine someone as graceful as Rima Mikasa to be so awkward.

Kazuto was, admittedly so, very relieved to know his brother simply was still excited to meet him. He let out a relieved sigh he didn't know he'd been holding and allowed a smile he didn't know he'd dropped to creep back onto his face. Noticing this, Justin shook his head.

"You didn't think that Kai would spend thousands of dollars looking for you just so he could ignore you while you're here. He's a good guy, better than most." He assured.

As the last of the bags (most of them being Asuna's) were unloaded from the limo, the trio headed inside to meet the famous owner of the estate and heir to the Kazami fortune.

Now neither Kazuto nor Asuna imagined that the interior of the mansion would look bigger than the outside of it. They wouldn't have believed it had they not seen it with their own eyes.

The dojo styled building had hallways with hardwood floors that looked endless. Grand hallways stretched far right and left with a large foyer in the center where they stood. Chic furniture mixed with traditional Japanese furniture lined the foyer. Just beyond the foyer Kazuto could make out a large garden with a small courtyard in the middle. There were a few mirrors along the walls and as they went further into the structure, Kazuto noticed that just beyond the large foyer were even more hallways with endless rooms. Just how exactly did anyone keep track of this much space?! What stood out to Kazuto the most though, was the collection of samurai swords that lined the walls down the foyer. There were too many to count, each and every one of them just as beautiful and unique as the last. None resembled the swords in SAO, but were breathtaking none the less. _Grandfather really had all of these?_ Kazuto thought absently.

"The infirmary is this way." Justin said, pointing down the leftmost hallway. They followed him until they reached a white washed room with three infirmary beds, the furthest covered by a white curtain. Kazuto could just barely make out two silhouettes behind the curtain.

"Hey Kai, we're here!" Justin announced, startling the two people behind the curtain.

Kazuto stood stock still as he awaited the two to appear from behind the curtain. He didn't wait long though, for a tall, leanly built man emerged from behind the curtain not seconds later. At first glance, the man that was Kaito Kazami was superiorly intimidating. He stood over six feet tall, with lean but obvious muscle bulging from his tight fitting shirt. He has piercing hazel eyes and jet black hair that fell just at the nape of his neck. For a brief moment, Kazuto wondered if he was _really_ related to the man before him, but the facial features said it all. Same nose, same eye shape, same jawbone, there were so many similarities.

Kaito stood, looking at his little brother with an intense, yet bemused gaze. Kazuto looked so much older and more mature than in the pictures that the internet provided for him. Doing the math in his head, Kai realized his younger brother was about to turn eighteen, whereas in the photos he couldn't have been older than sixteen. But finally, _finally_ ¸ he had this amazing opportunity to meet his younger sibling, the only remaining connection he had to his parents.

Rima finally had enough of the silence and made herself known. Coming out from behind the pale white sheet came a tiny girl-like woman. She looked no older than sixteen, even though she was reaching a ripe twenty-three years of age. Large turquoise eyes peeked up from behind icy blonde bangs. Her long pale blonde hair reached her mid-back and fell in large curls that resembled loose waves. She was a tiny woman, being only five feet and two inches tall. And this tiny woman had had enough of the two brothers just staring at each other awkwardly.

She cleared her throat to make herself known. "Talk to him, Kai! You didn't bring him here just so you can stare at him all day, did you?" she scolded, putting a hand to her cocked hip.

Asuna giggled from behind Kazuto. It was an awkward giggle, but the combined efforts of her and Rima seemed to boost Kai's confidence enough to break the awkward silence.

Kai gulped. "Uh, hi Kazuto." He coughed, mustering all his confidence. Why was he scared? This was his own blood he was talking to! Bringing all his confidence to the surface, he grinned. "I'm Kaito Kazami, everyone really calls me Kai. It's great to finally meet you."

Taking it all in that he was actually speaking to his brother in person, all Kazuto could do was manage a dumb nod. There was so much he wanted to ask him, to tell him, but was it too soon? Why couldn't he talk all of a sudden? Making a quick decision, he turned to his girlfriend who stood by his side, firmly grasping his hand in a notion for support.

"Hey Asuna… do you think you guys could give Kaito and I some time to talk?" he asked shyly, afraid he might upset her. She just smiled, kissed his cheek and turned towards Justin who was standing at the doorway. Recognizing the situation, he invited both Rima and Asuna for tea in the courtyard, to which the two happily obliged.

Once the two brothers were finally alone, the tension increased tenfold. It was as if neither of them knew what to say or how to speak what was going through their heads. Kazuto glanced down at his shoes and Kai focused on the clock behind his brother. After another thirty seconds of not knowing what to say, Kai decided that the residential infirmary was not the ideal place to hold a heart to heart with your long lost brother.

"Let's get out of this infirmary, it's too stuffy in here. Why don't we take this over to the study?" he suggested. Kazuto gave a nervous grin and nodded his head.

The study slash library was definitely _not_ what Kazuto imagined many libraries looked like. When one thought of a study or library they probably thought of antique oak furniture with lamp fixtures and tall, oak bookshelves with a large desk in the center. Evidently, Kai's idea of a study was cluttered bookshelves filled with what Kazuto could only guess were CD albums and vinyl records. They looked ancient! There were also several record players and stereo systems lining the wall. A black leather couch was pushed up against the wall across from the door and the wall on the left had a large window that overlooked part of the gardens.

Kai gestured over to the leather couch and Kazuto planted himself on the rightmost end, while Kai sat on the leftmost end.

And the silence continued, both too intimidated to talk.

Finally, Kaito broke the tension.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't meet any earlier. That old man…" said Kai, a scowl coming across his features as he recalled his resentful grandfather.

Kazuto looked flustered at this. "No please don't worry about that! I'm just glad we get to meet now! I mean… I didn't even know you existed." He said, a light pink dusting his cheeks.

Kai smiled, albeit somewhat bitterly. "It's not like I expected them to tell you anyways. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but I don't know how much longer I could've gone without seeing you again, especially now that grandfather is gone."

Kai would never tell his brother that he spent many nights imagining what this day would be like, though he never imagined it to be this _awkward_. His brother wasn't the baby he was when he last saw him, he was nearly a man. He'd already experienced so much and there was a wise glint in his eye that told Kai that he'd already experienced a lot of the worst of the world. A wave of guilt suddenly hit him as he realized he wasn't there for his little brother at a crucial time in his life.

Kazuto returned his brother's smile with sincerity. It wasn't his fault his entire family kept his brother a secret. There was one thing that bothered him though…

"Why did grandfather keep you a secret anyways? Why didn't he want you to find me?" he asked.

Kaito sighed. It wasn't just any sort of sigh either. It was a long, frustrated sigh. "I wish I could tell you," he said, "but even after all these years, I can't be sure myself. We used to have fights, screaming ones, when I demanded for him to take me to you. He always just called me an ungrateful brat and ordered me to my room. Things never progressed beyond that."

Remembering those nights made Kai nostalgic. Just because his grandfather was an ass when it came to seeing Kazuto, didn't mean that he wasn't a good guy when it came down to it. He taught him everything he knew about Kendo and fighting, and cheered him on at every tournament. Tough as the old man was, he was full of love for all of his grandchildren. Kai vaguely remembered his grandfather talking about how his grandfather talked about his granddaughter, another Kendo prodigy…

"We have a cousin!" Kai exclaimed suddenly, making Kazuto jump slightly.

Kazuto smiled at that. "Yeah." he said, nodding. "Her name is Suguha, and she's a year younger than me. I call her Sugu though."

Kai nodded. The name did indeed sound familiar, she must have been the Kendo champion his grandfather often bragged about.

"She's good at Kendo, isn't she?" he asked. Kazuto nodded.

"One of the best, almost all sports really. I've never been too great at it, I prefer video games." He said sheepishly, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Grandfather taught her everything she knows, and then she just kept practicing. She's entered into the national championship."

Kai's eyebrow shot up. She was that good? Even he never made it to the national championships. Then again, he found music and Rima before he ever got the chance to further his Kendo skills.

He smirked. "Tell her to stop by sometime, I'd love to have a spar with her."

"I'll make sure to tell her."

Kai looked down at his watch and sighed.

"We should probably go find our ladies, we have all weekend to chat." Kai smiled, "Your girlfriend is with Rima and Justin and I'm not sure what kind of shenanigans they might be getting into."

Kazuto laughed at that. The small blonde definitely did seem spunky, and coupled with Justin's loud personality he was sure he'd be in for an interesting weekend.

As the two walked down the corridor into the main living space (which had a pool table, flat screen TV, surround sound system, and a foosball table!), Kazuto couldn't believe how cool his family was! Kai was an easy person to talk to, which is more than he expected from a rock star.

"WOOHOO GO ASUNA! KICK HIS BUTT!"

Kai groaned. Of course his girlfriend managed to coerce Asuna into competing in a Guitar Hero showdown. That game was ancient, but it was always her favorite and she chose that one over any other video game, including the full dive ones Kazuto liked to play. Asuna looked like she was having fun though, hell she was winning! Kai looked to his side and saw the amused look on his brother's face. His girlfriend certainly was a handful when it came right down to it, but she was a kind soul. Rima just had this charm and charisma to her that drew people in. Even Kai had to admit she was most of the reason he had as many friends as he did. He wasn't nearly as charismatic.

Kai was starting to enjoy watching Asuna beat Justin at Guitar Hero until he recognized the song that they were indeed playing to.

 _Now if she does it like this, will you do it like that?_

 _Now if she touches like this, will you touch her right back?_

 _Now if she moves like this, will you move her like that?_

 _Come on!_

 _Shake, shake_

 _Shake, shake, and shake it!_

"RIMA!" he jumped over the couch, thrusting himself in front of the huge flat screen and reaching to turn the set off, bringing the competition to a screeching halt.

"Why'd you turn it off?" Justin whined, glaring at the larger man. "That was my favorite song of yours!"

Kaito glared back with twice the ferocity. He knew Justin and the others were prone to coming over just so they could play the old school game, but he would never in a million years figure out _how_ or _why_ Ami managed to program a song that he wrote and performed his senior year of high school into the device. And now his little brother and his girlfriend have heard it. He sighed. They probably did this just to embarrass him. Looking over, he noticed his blonde girlfriend and friend were sporting innocent matching smiles, a little _too_ innocent if you asked him.

Kazuto chuckled and moved up to wrap his arms around his girlfriend's waist. Asuna smiled at the small gesture. They weren't talking for long, it seemed, but she was glad that Kazuto had time to talk to his brother alone. He seemed genuinely happy about being here. She giggled watching Kaito argue with Justin over some silly song, which was a good one at that. She thoroughly enjoyed the game. Maybe she could get one for herself…

"OKAY! Geez, Kai. Don't be such a baby it's just a song. A good one too! Don't be embarrassed, hon." Rima said loudly, silencing the arguing pair and successfully placing a blush upon the raven-haired man's cheeks.

Kazuto couldn't help the small chuckles that escaped him. These guys really were an entertaining bunch. It was amazing really, all that's happened today. And he still had three more days with them! He was certainly looking forward to meeting the rest of Kai's friends. Everyone was so unique. Rima was spunky, Justin was loud, and Kai was friendly. He couldn't even imagine what their other friends were going to be like. Having Asuna with him at his side was just the cherry on top.

Ah yes, it was going to be a great weekend.

 **Song Credit: Shake it! - Metro Station**


	6. Getting Ready

**It's updated! Sorry it took so long I've been impossibly busy with school and all. Anyways here is chapter 6!**

 **Enjoy! (I don't own SAO)**

Later that evening, Kazuto and Asuna were unpacking their things for the weekend in their larger than large shared bedroom. Now if Kazuto was being honest, he did not in any way expect his older brother to allow him to sleep in the same room as his girlfriend. There was even a king-sized bed that they could share. Now Kazuto and Asuna were prone to cuddling in bed together, but they hadn't actually slept in the same bed since their days in SAO.

"You know, I was a little surprised at how cool and spunky your brother and Rima turned out to be." Said Asuna, carefully hanging up some dresses.

Kazuto nodded, the man in the photo that Kouji showed him looked nothing like his brother. Kai had such a friendly exterior it was hard for him to imagine that cold, intimidating look on his face now. And Rima, well she was a pop star. Weren't pop stars supposed to be spoiled and bratty? She was pretty much the exact opposite of that! Still, there was one little thing nagging at the back of his mind…

"They are really nice, then again we haven't really known them for that long." He replied, biting the inside of his cheek in contempt. He didn't want to believe that Kaito was cold or indifferent like he had been in that photo. Then again, they were related by blood and there were times where he himself had shown a side of indifference.

Suddenly, he felt a slender pair of arms wrap around his middle. Asuna nuzzled her face into his neck from behind, sighing contentedly. "It's just like you to be so cynical. You were so excited to meet him, so give them a chance, okay? I'm sure they're good people."

"I am giving them a chance. That's why we're here, isn't it?" he said, turning around in her arms to face her.

Asuna grinned. "Yup! That's exactly why we are here! So, come on I don't want to be held up in our room all night let's go see them!"

Kazuto smiled at her eagerness and leaned down to capture her lips. It's been far too long since he tasted those sweet lips of hers. Normally they'd only share a kiss or two on a special occasion, because kisses were so special to them. As of late though, Kazuto has been craving her kisses more and more.

Just as they pulled away, there was a knock on their door. The couple turned to see a familiar small blonde at the door, smiling innocently.

"I was just wondering if you guys were up to have a little fun tonight, celebrity style!" Rima said as she flashed a billion-dollar smile at them.

Well they had no reason to say _no_. It would prove to be quite the experience after all, and it would be the first taste of what Kaito and Rima actually did as celebrities.

Some hours later, Asuna found herself at the mercy of Rima and her never-ending party closet. She had a closet just for party outfits. Yup, that's right. She had multiple closets. There were rows upon rows of hangars and garment bags with expensive looking brands on them, some of which she'd never even heard of! As she browsed through some of the pieces, Asuna couldn't help but marvel at how revealing most of the outfits were compared to the stuff she owned. She was sure some of her own dresses cost just as much, if not more, than these garments but there was no way her mother would ever allow her to wear something that covered less than fifty percent of her body!

"You like what you see?" asked Rima, coming out from behind one of the racks, two garment bags in hand.

Asuna nodded. Everything was gorgeous. There was sparkles and sequins galore and some of the most beautiful cocktail dresses she had ever seen. Rima smiled genuinely and handed her a garment bag with her name put on it in black marker.

"This should fit, its romper style so don't worry about length. I think other than height we're around the same size." Rima grinned, pushing Asuna into the larger, more open space of the closet that was lined with mirrors which Asuna deemed as the dressing room.

"We'll get dressed here, and I want to make sure that," she pointed to the bag in Asuna's hands, "fits perfectly. I may not be a seamstress but I know a thing or two about tailoring."

Asuna nodded again and began to strip off her polo and shorts. She was about to open her garment bag when Rima stopped her. "Wait! One more thing… you won't be needing a bra with that one." She said sheepishly, hiding a sly grin.

Now Rima usually wasn't one to meddle, but Kai's little brother was so cute and the sexual tension between the two was undeniable. It's hard not to get a little bit involved when there is something that could be done. When she mentioned it to Kai, he flat out told her she was crazy and not to get involved in his little brother's love life, much less his sex life.

But she did it anyway.

It's not like it was her idea to let them share a room together on the opposite side of the house from where she and Kai sleep. Now she's just giving them both that little push.

Startled by the new information, Asuna pulled the tab on the garment bag, bringing the item into view.

And it was quite the sight.

As promised, it was a romper, though it looked more like a glamorized onesie. It was black in color (Kazuto's favorite color). The shorts stopped just below her butt, leaving her long legs out for the world to see, and the shorts and bodice of the romper up until just below her breasts was snug and form fitting, showing off her rounded bottom and slim waist. The top part was a simple black sequined halter that dipped in a _very_ low V, ending slightly below her breasts. On her feet she wore simple, small-heeled black booties. The romper showed off her best assets and she felt damn sexy wearing it, as mortifying as it was that so much of her would be shown to a bunch of people she didn't know. More than anything though, she was excited to see how Kazuto would look at her.

"You look amazing! I couldn't have pulled it off better myself!" squealed Rima, sporting an equally skimpy looking outfit.

Rima wore dark jean shorts with a gold studded belt around her waist. She wore no full shirt, opting for a black bra with gold embellishments and a leather jacket with the sleeves cuffed at her elbows. On her feet were a pair of black and gold Nike Dunk Heels. She'd braided her long icy locks down into a messy side braid and applied only minimal makeup.

"You look gorgeous Rima! I love your sense of style!" complimented Asuna. Rima merely shrugged.

"It changes every couple of weeks or so. One week I'm Blair Waldorf and another week I'm Serena Van der Woodsen. That's why I have so many clothes!"

Asuna could have died from happiness when she heard the names of the two main characters in her favorite retro TV show, _Gossip Girl_. "Oh my gosh! You like Gossip Girl, too?!"

Rima's eyes flashed. "Best. Show. Ever."

The two talked endlessly about the show while Rima worked on Asuna's hair and makeup. When she was done, Asuna couldn't believe she was really looking at herself in the mirror. Could that really be her? The smokey eyeshadow that Rima applied made her feel sexy and invincible, and the dark, vampy, lip color added a dangerous touch to the look. Her hair had been curled into loose waves and left to cascade down her back in all its chestnut glory.

"So do you think you're ready?"

Asuna couldn't tell if there was a double-meaning behind Rima's words. There was something about the way she said it…

"Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."

Meanwhile, it took Kai less than ten minutes to get Kazuto ready for the night's events. Albeit, it was a little harder than he imagined to get his younger brother into slim fitting black jeans that rode low on his hips. He called them "girly". Kai had scoffed at that. The pants that he wears aren't _girly_. They're cool. Kazuto picked out a fitted white V-neck shirt to go along with it and a white belt.

Like Kazuto, Kai also sported a pair of fitted black pants, but instead of a V-neck shirt he opted for a less casual, forest-green button up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. They both wore black sneakers on their feet.

"I never understood why girls take so long to get ready." Kai sighed, plopping down on the couch. In the past two hours that the guys had already been ready, they'd talked some more about Kazuto's life in Tokyo, ate two sandwiches each ("You don't want to drink on an empty stomach." "I'm underage!"), and watched old videos of Kai's performances.

It was nearing the time that everyone was set to meet at the estate so Kai had hoped that Rima would have Asuna ready in time. He had no idea what she had planned, but that sly smirk on her face when she all but kidnapped the poor girl couldn't mean anything good.

"Kai, honey! We're ready!" Rima called from the hallway. "We're going to wait in here until the others show up though, okay?"

At that, Kazuto felt the slightest pang of disappointment. He really wanted to see what Asuna would be wearing. She always liked to look nice for an occasion, even if it was a small one. Not that he would ever admit that he took notice of the way she was dressed every day, but it was always nice when it looked like she tried especially hard for him that day. It wasn't until that disappointment subsided that he took note of the other part of Rima's sentence.

"What others?" he asked, shooting his brother a quizzical look. Kai smirked down at him.

"Our friends. You've already met Justin. There's also his cousin John, the twins, Ami, Kyo, and Mari. At the Band Hall we'll also run into some of my friends that are your age."

"The Band Hall?"

"Oh we didn't already tell you? I'm sorry it must have slipped my mind. That's where we're going tonight. It's something like a nightclub, you'll see."

Well Kazuto didn't doubt it was a nightclub. He did have his suspicions when Kai asked him how much alcohol he was okay with consuming. And while he was underage, Kai promised that nearly every teenager over the age of sixteen drank in the Okijama district ("rich kid perks" he had said). It was definitely going to be an interesting night. Kazuto just hoped nothing went out of control.

"THE BITCH IS BACK MUTHAFUCKAS!"

Both heads snapped towards the front of the foyer, where a voluptuous brunette stood with her hip cocked out to the side and a seductive smirk on her face. Behind her stood an equally cocky-looking male version of her.

"Sam… and Bryan. You're here. " Kai sighed, bringing his hands up to his face. He'd honestly been hoping that they'd show up with Ami and Kyo. They were calmer that way.

"Well, aren't you gonna introduce us, Kaito-kun?" Samantha purred, placing herself on one of the armchairs. Bryan rolled his eyes and sat on Kazuto's other side.

Samantha Hollis had an infamous reputation for being the biggest flirt in the city. She flirted shamelessly either to get what she wanted or to make someone so flustered he couldn't talk. It always worked too, never failed. Except for today. Kaito's brother showed no signs of even acknowledging her beauty.

"Hi, I'm Kazuto, Kaito's brother. It's nice to meet you, uh…" he smiled, sheepishly trailing off at the end.

"Samantha. Samantha Hollis." She said, biting back a growl. He was the first boy she'd ever met who didn't drool or gape at the sight of her.

Bryan let out a few chuckles. "I think you're losing your touch, sis. The kid's immune."

Kai and Bryan laughed while Sam just sat back and pouted. Samantha was wearing a skin-tight, long-sleeved, red body-con dress that stopped just short of her butt and impressively high shiny black pumps. Bryan sported dark was blue jeans and a black button up shirt.

"We're here!~" A musical voice sang from the doorway.

Five people stood at the doorway this time. Justin was there, along with another blonde guy whom he could only guess was his cousin. There was a small auburn haired girl who immediately threw herself into Bryan's awaiting arms, and a tall blonde girl on the arm of a scary-looking tattooed guy. So this is what Kai's friends looked like.

The tall blonde girl was the first one to approach him. She stuck her hand out politely. "Hello, I'm Ami Yasuni, music producer and emcee. I'm the one that makes sure your brother's music sounds good." She joked, winking at him.

Next was the petite redhead. "My name is Marina Hakashi, but everyone calls me Mari. I'm a singer-songwriter."

Then the blonde guy that wasn't Justin. "John Aksin. Journalist, blogger, and novelist." His introduction was short but not unfriendly.

Finally the scary looking guy reached out to shake his hand and flashed him a smile, which was not what Kazuto had expected. "I'm Kyo Takasa. I sing and write songs." He said with a distinctive British accent. Kazuto returned the smile and turned to face the whole group.

"It's really nice to meet all of you. I'm Kazuto Kirigaya, Kai's brother."

Mari giggled and bounced up and down excitedly. "We know! We are going to have so much fun this weekend! Hey… isn't your girlfriend supposed to be here too? I want to meet her!" Ami and Samantha hurriedly voiced their agreement.

Kai rolled his eyes and pointed to one of the hallways. "They should be down here soon. Rima had her getting ready all afternoon."

"It takes effort to look good, Kai. I didn't do all of this," Ami gestured down her body, "in half an hour."

True to her words, Ami looked perfectly dressed for the occasion. She wore a royal blue corset-like top paired with white skinny jeans and blue and gold sandals. Mari looked cute too, wearing a jade-green cocktail dress that reached her knees and gold ballet flats. All the guys just wore different versions of the same outfit, nice jeans with either a button up shirt or a graphic t-shirt (in Kyo's case).

"Kai!" Rima's voice rang from down the hall, "We're ready!"

"Well come out already!" And she did, strutting into the foyer, and placing a black fedora on her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd say this is my best piece of work so far. I'd go as far as to say I could become a stylist." She said, winking at them.

Vaguely, Kazuto could hear heels clicking in the hallway. _Finally,_ he thought.

"I present to you…" Rima said, pulling the girl into view, "Asuna Yuuki."

Kazuto's jaw dropped.


	7. Night OutProblem

**Wow! Two updates in one week! I'm on a roll! Actually... I've been procrastinating writing an essay for class all weekend and this is what I got done.**

 **My dad: Working hard on that essay right?**

 **Me: -looks down at chapter open on laptop- yeeaaaahhhh**

 **Onward with the chapter! Things are really going to start to heat up in this one!**

It was hard not to stare. She was… _sexy_ , for lack of a better word. The fact that that's the word he used to describe her gave Kazuto an uneasy feeling. She was a vision right now and he never dared dream he'd see her in something so revealing and glamorous. She was always beautiful, he'd known that from the very beginning. But there was something in the way the outfit highlighted all of her best assets that made him want to… _devour her._ It was certainly a feeling that he wasn't used to. Even just looking at her right now made his blood rush both north _and_ south.

"K-Kirito-kun?"

Oh, that's right. His illicitly hot girlfriend was standing right in front of him watching as he ogled her, shamelessly.

"Y-you look really nice, Asuna." He stuttered, avoiding eye contact.

Asuna, not knowing how to interpret her boyfriend's reaction, was nevertheless embarrassed by how nearly every male in the room was blatantly staring at her. She had definitely been hoping to make Kazuto's jaw drop with her outfit but she really didn't want _everyone_ looking at her. Suddenly she felt a sharp jab to her side and turned to see Rima to her side, smiling excitedly.

"I told you he'd like it! You look amazing, so don't worry okay?" she said reassuringly.

Asuna smiled warmly. "Thanks, Rima. At least I hope he likes it."

"If he's anything like his brother, the way he looked at you spoke volumes." Rima winked.

It wasn't long before Asuna was also acquainted with the entire group. Then it was time to head out to The Band Hall. Except there may have been a slight delay, due to the fact that no one could agree on how to get there. While the girls preferred to take a limo to the club, the guys all wanted to drive and show off their expensive sports cars.

"I don't want to have to deal with having to pick a designated driver, I'd rather just take the limo." Rima reasoned, crossing her arms. Kai sighed.

"Fine, but we're taking him to the races before he leaves. He needs to see a real car show."

"Fine."

So they all piled into a sleek, black stretch limo and headed out to the Band Hall. Kazuto and Asuna marveled at the sheer size of the club, and not to mention the privacy that came with it. It was a beachside club, with the back porch facing the beach. There were two stories. The top floor was really just a large balcony that overlooked the first floor, but there was also a small bar and some couches and tables. The bottom floor was mostly dance floor but there was a roped off area in the right hand corner with plush couches and a mini-bar and buffet. There was an even larger bar than on the second floor that went along the right wall. There were also doors along the back wall leading out to the patio area. What was most surprising though, was the large stage that went along the left wall. It was set up with lots of band equipment and microphones, as well as turntables near the back of the stage.

"Is this like a karaoke bar or something?" Kazuto asked, looking towards the rest of the group as they got passed the bouncers with no trouble.

Bryan scowled at the comment and Sam crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. "No, it's not a _karaoke bar_. It's the hottest club in the Okijama district. There's over 20,000 people on the waitlist." She sneered, scowling down at the younger boy. "And we," she motioned between herself and Bryan, "are the owners."

Kazuto winced, sending the brunette twins an apologetic look.

Soon after, Kazuto and Asuna found themselves seated in the roped off area on the plush couches, being served apple martinis. Asuna grimaced as she sipped at the bitter beverage, and Kazuto plain ignored his, setting it off to the side.

It took a few minutes for Kazuto and Asuna to get used to the atmosphere of the Band Hall. There were sweaty, grinding bodies packed on the first floor while the second floor was occupied by fancily dressed patrons sipping expensive looking beverages.

"Mind if we joined you guys?" A lanky kid with light brown hair and dark eyes said as he approached the rope that separated the group from the rest of the club.

Standing with the boy was a small, orange-haired girl who rivaled Rima in size and a guy with chocolate-brown hair and brown eyes. They didn't look Kai's age, in fact they looked closer to Kazuto's age.

Kaito cleared his throat and gestured to the trio as they passed the velvet rope. "Kazuto and Asuna, meet Tommy, Annie, and Ryo. They're a little closer to your age."

Ryo Hollis was the first to step up to greet the two. He introduced himself as the twins' little cousin and seemed nice enough, very flirty though which gave him an even more striking resemblance to his cousins. Annie Tohomiko was next, and while her introduction was polite it wasn't particularly friendly. Tommy was the last to introduce himself to couple and while he seemed rather nice, Kazuto got a vibe from him that was a little too weary. The trio found a plush couch to the right of Asuna and Kazuto and ordered fancy-sounding alcoholic beverages. Tommy had an arm around Annie's waist, indicating their coupling.

Slightly bored, Kazuto looked around curiously, there was a large mass of grinding bodies dancing to "GDFR" by Flo Rida on the dance floor and while most of the group was seated with him, Samantha and Ami were nowhere to be seen. Like he'd done many times before, he looked to his brother, who was busy downing a clear liquid in a glass, for answers.

Noticing the look, Kai sighed. "You'll see in a bit. This place is super exclusive because popular artists like Sam and Rima like to debut their songs here. I think Sam is setting up for her first number right now."

"And Ami?" Kazuto asked curiously.

"She's a music producer and emcee. She kinda runs the show down here. You know, DJ-ing and stuff." The older man said simply.

Before Kazuto could ask any further questions, the sound of sirens blared through the building and the lights went out, leaving the entire place pitch black except for a red spotlight center stage. A few seconds after the sirens subsided and an electric beat pounded through the speakers, the lights let up to reveal Samantha taking center stage, bringing the mic to her lips with a devilish smirk.

"Here goes…" he heard Kai murmur beside him.

 _Sweat, drippin' down your chest_

 _Thinking 'bout your tattooed knuckles on my thigh boy-boy-boy_

 _Cold… shower you got no, power to control_

 _How I make you my toy-toy-toy_

Samantha's sultry voice rang through the club and the crowd let out a series of cheers. Asuna looked to the stage, where the brunette stood in all of her glory, dancing in ways she was sure she'd never be able to. The woman moved in such a hypnotizing way Asuna was sure that every single male in the room was looking at her, even Kazuto. Though imagine her surprise when she found her boyfriend looking at _her_ instead of the vixen on the stage. He was smiling at her gently when he stood and offered her his hand.

"I know I'll be bad at it, but would you like to dance?" he said, grinning down at her.

"Sure…" she replied hesitantly, taking his hand. He led her to the middle of the dance floor where there was a small clearing just large enough for the two of them to dance comfortably.

In all honestly, Kazuto thought the only way to control his raging hormones was to distract himself by most likely embarrassing himself in the middle of a bunch of really famous people. If he could focus on not screwing that up, maybe he'd be able to keep his blood from rushing to his pants at the sight of Asuna in that outfit.

 _My hips rockin' as we keep lip lockin'_

 _Got the neighbors screamin' even louder-louder_

 _Lick me down like you were rollin' rizla_

 _I'm smoking… come and put me out_

He was definitely wrong.

Holding Asuna so close to him while she was moving was doing anything _but_ distracting him from how amazing she looked. It didn't help that he still didn't know how to dance. Now he just looked like an idiot and his hormones were raging out of control. He needed something to loosen him up and keep him from looking like a total ass-hat. He needed alcohol… like now.

Meanwhile Asuna was trying to copy the way Samantha was dancing on stage. It was nowhere near her level of sexiness, but she hoped the winding of her hips was enough to get her boyfriend's attention. She pouted when she realized that he was looking anywhere but at her. His hands held her hips loosely as she moved closer to him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her.

 _I'm your dream girl, this is real love_

 _But you know what they say about me_

 _That girl is a problem- girl is a problem_

 _Girl is a problem-problem_

Asuna turned Kazuto's head to look at her. "What's wrong? You're not looking at me." She nearly whined.

Kazuto's eyes widened and he nearly fainted at how amazing she sounded. Then he processed what she said. "I'm sorry. You're just a really good dancer and I suck," he lied through his teeth, "Maybe I should get a drink, you know, to loosen me up a bit."

Asuna was skeptical and hesitant. On one hand, she didn't want Kazuto to have to be intoxicated to have a good time, but on the other hand she wouldn't mind a drink or two to loosen up her own nerves.

 _Baby you's a bad boy, drive me mad boy_

 _But you don't care what they say about me_

 _That girl is a problem-girl is a problem_

 _Girl is a problem-problem_

After Asuna agreed that they could both use some alcohol in their systems, they headed back to the VIP area where Kaito and Rima were slamming shots together.

"I feel like Klein and Agil would love it here…" Kazuto murmured absentmindedly. Asuna giggled at that.

Kazuto found his abandoned apple martini and drank it quickly. It was bitter, burned his throat, and tasted almost nothing like apples. Asuna ordered herself a cocktail. But before Kazuto could order another one for himself, Kai shoved a short glass of pink liquid in his hands. He noticed Asuna was now holding another of the drink and Rima had an arm slung over her shoulder.

"Drink up. It's cranberry juice and vodka, you can't taste the alcohol all that much." Said Kai, downing his own pink beverage.

 _I got your name, hanging from my chain_

 _Don't you wanna claim my body like a vandal?_

 _You got the cure, underneath your shirt_

 _Don't you wanna save this dirty little damsel?_

 _Got my mink coat falling on the motel floor_

 _You're on the bed, wolf whistling getting louder-louder_

 _You lips smudging all my makeup_

 _Kicking both my heels off, come and pin me down._

Three cranberry-vodkas later and Kazuto was on the dance floor again with Asuna, paying every ounce of attention to the way she was moving against him and too inebriated to stop his own grinding against her. It felt _nice_. She felt nice, her warm body pressed against his in the most delicious way possible. The alcohol in his system was surely doing its job of keeping his nerves calm, yet it stripped him of all inhibitions and there was nothing mentally stopping him from ravishing her right here on the dance floor.

 _I'm your dream girl, this is real love_

 _But you know what they say about me_

 _That girl is a problem- girl is a problem_

 _Girl is a problem-problem_

 _Baby you's a bad boy, drive me mad boy_

 _But you don't care what they say about me_

 _That girl is a problem-girl is a problem_

 _Girl is a problem-problem_

People wolf whistled at the far from innocently dancing couple, and the two were too caught up in each other to even notice. Wearily, Kaito turned to his blonde girlfriend and shot her a disapproving look.

"Did you expect this to happen?" he scolded. She turned to him with wide eyes.

"Not at all. I wanted them to drink to get them to loosen up and not be so stiff around each other, but I had no idea they'd be like this. I saw the way your brother looked at her in that outfit. He just needs a little push to give her what she wants…"

"And how do you know that's what she wants?"

Rima cocked an eyebrow at him, as if to say _are you really asking me that?_ "I just know, hun. We're girls, we can sense things like that."

Kai simply shrugged. "I still don't think you should be meddling."

 _We're hell raising and we don't need saving,_

 _Cuz there's no salvation for a bad girl_

 _We're rock bottom, but there ain't no stopping_

 _Cuz they don't know nothing about love_

 _We're hell raising and we don't need saving,_

 _Cuz there's no salvation for a bad boy_

 _We're rock bottom, but there ain't no stopping_

 _Cuz it's you and me against the world_

Kazuto was getting dangerously close to devouring the chestnut girl in his arms. Her mouth was so tempting, skin so soft and begging for his touch. Without much thought, he gathered her up in his arms and sealed his mouth over hers, giving her one of the most heated kisses she'd ever experienced. Pulling herself flush against him, Asuna wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his midnight hair. His lips were so delicious it sent shivers down her spine. She wanted more, _needed_ more. She wanted to feel him around her like their first night together in SAO, except she wanted it to be real this time. Asuna moaned softly as she felt his tongue graze her bottom lip, begging for entry which she granted without a second thought. Their tongues battled fiercely for dominance but in the end Asuna allowed herself to be dominated by him.

"Kirito-kun… please…" she moaned into his mouth, clutching the front of his shirt.

Kazuto pulled away slightly to move his lips down her jawbone to her neck. He nipped and sucked at the soft flesh there, making her moan in his ear. He was slowly sobering, but showed no signs of wanting to stop. He just wanted to know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her right now. Pulling away from her neck, he looked down to meet her clear, obviously sober, gaze. Turns out she had been sobering up during their heated moment too, not that it made any of her feelings change.

"Asuna… are you sure about this?" Kazuto asked gently, grasping her hand that was clutching his shirt.

Asuna nodded, a look of sheer determination and lust in her eyes. "I'm sure. I love you, Kazuto."

Kazuto smiled. "I love you, too."

After making subtle eye contact with Kai from across the room, the couple headed to the front doors of the Band Hall and slipped into the limo. On the limo ride back to the estate, it was hard for the two to keep their hands off each other. Asuna let her hands venture underneath her boyfriend's shirt and Kazuto allowed his hands to roam wherever they pleased. As they approached the gates of the estate Kazuto gave Asuna a meaningful look.

"Asuna, do you trust me?"

Asuna blushed at the implications of his words, "I trust you."

 **A/N: I'm pretty sure you got what I implied. There will be a lemon for those of you wanting to read that but since this is a T-rated fic I am going to post it as a one-shot in the M-rated section of SAO :) Hope you enjoyed!**

 ***The song mentioned is "Problem" by Natalia Kills. All credit goes there.**


	8. ALO

**Wow! Okay don't throw things at me! I know this chapter took forever to get here but it is, alas, finally here. This is the chapter following 7.5, which is uploaded as a different fic named Tangled in You. If you haven't read it and you want to read Kirisuna lemon, you are more than welcome to do so. If that isn't your cup of tea, then it's not necessary for this story. So here it is! Chapter 8!**

The next morning was supposed to be a quiet one. Kazuto was supposed to his beauty looking down at him, giving him gentle kisses until he awoke. They were supposed to sit and have a nice late breakfast whilst giggling and being overly affectionate towards each other because that's the way couples were supposed to spend the morning after their first time together.

That is _not_ what happens at the Kazami household.

"Wait-Rima-… you can't just barge-RIMA!" Kai fiercely whispered as he followed a tiny blonde down a familiar hallway. She was already at the door.

"Kai, honey it's fine I'm just gonna check to make sure they didn't chicken out!" she whispered back, pulling back the door. She was about to peek in when Kai stopped her again.

"What if they're not decent?"

Rima rolled her eyes. "I'm just gonna have a quick peek, can I please? I don't want all of my hard work to be for nothing!" she pouted, pulling out the puppy dog eyes shamelessly.

"No. Besides I don't think you need to check. I'm rather sure your hard work wasn't all for nothing." Kai said firmly, just barely resisting her puppy-dog look.

Kazuto, already been woken from their incessant whisper-bickering, resisted the urge to get up and slam the door in their faces. He definitely would have done so if he wasn't as naked as the day he'd been born. Asuna was still asleep, and for that he would eternally be grateful. He was just glad his brother had some sense of privacy and wasn't allowing Rima to peek.

"But Kaaaaaiiiiiiii!" Rima whined as Kai closed the door once again.

Kazuto waited for their mini-argument to be over before lifting himself out of bed, mindful of his girlfriend's still sleeping form. After making sure he was at least partially clothed, he walked into the connecting bathroom and turned on the water for a quick shower. Just before he was about to close the door and undress (again) he heard a rustling in the bedsheets where Asuna lay. The light-brunette rubbed her eyes sleepily and patted the space beside her, wondering where her body pillow had gone.

"Hey love," he said quietly walking over to her, "how are you feeling?"

Asuna yawned, sitting up and letting the covers pool at her waist. "I'm sore, but I'll manage."

"I'll be sure to take it easy on you next time." Kazuto smirked, enjoying the way her face heated up at his mention of a next time.

Asuna pouted. "It's nothing to be arrogant about," she scoffed, "but still, thank you for everything Kazuto."

Kazuto blushed. It was rare that she used his real name instead of his avatar name, but whenever she said it she filled the name with such endearment. "You don't have to thank me for anything, love. Last night was perfect."

Asuna nodded. She attempted to run a hand through her messy hair and winced at how tangled it really was. "I think I need a shower…" At this, Kazuto chuckled.

"Go ahead, I already started it. I'll go in after you're done."

Asuna blushed. "Or we could just take one together…" she said sheepishly. Kazuto's eyes widened at the suggestion, but then he smiled.

"Sure, why not?"

After the couple had showered and redressed, they decided it was time to finally leave their room and face the torturous teasing that was sure to be ahead of them. Kazuto deducted that even if he hadn't known Kai for long at all, he was still his older brother and therefore inherited infinitive teasing rights.

And he didn't disappoint.

"Well hello there, little brother. I'm surprised you're just waking up. I thought for sure that since you left the club so early you'd be the first ones awake." Kai winked, a smirk coming to his face.

"Oh, Kai I'm sure they were just so exhausted after last night's excitement." Rima winked from the kitchen. She was making blueberry pancakes.

Kazuto rolled his eyes at the pair and tried his best to keep the blood from rushing to his face. Asuna, on the other hand, felt like a tomato. They'd been so obvious! Even Kai was snickering at them and Rima openly gave her a thumbs up. How embarrassing. Still, if Kaito and Kazuto could be this comfortable around one another after only a day of knowing each other the teasing was sure to be a good sign. In truth, Asuna was worried there would be an awkward tension that lasted at least a few days, but the two seemed to take to each other easily.

"Alright, alright I'll stop the teasing. I actually have something fun planned for today." Kai said, handing his brother a plate of pancakes and digging into his own.

Kazuto accepted his breakfast gratefully. He was hungrier than he'd been in a while. "And what would that be?"

"Racing!" Rima shouted gleefully, almost skipping into the dining room.

"Racing?" Asuna said hesitantly. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going.

"Yeah, we're gonna meet up with the others later and have a few friendly races. You two don't have to participate, but Bryan and Kyo never miss a chance to show off their cars." Said Kai, "The track is a little ways from here, and unless you want to drive yourselves, you can ride with me. Rima's going to take her own car this time."

Kazuto's interest was piqued. He had never been to a real race before, and had definitely not competed in one. Though he did enjoy the thrill of racing games, he wasn't sure if he would actually like street racing. _I wonder what kind of car he has,_ thought Kazuto. Surely, since his brother was rich he'd have the top of the line sports car, which was probably something European that he didn't know how to pronounce. His own motor bike was the only thing he really liked driving, although he did acquire a driver's license not too long ago. He also knew he would never be comfortable behind the wheel of a vehicle that was worth probably more than his own life. Kai was probably was right when he recommended they just watch.

The races weren't supposed to start until the afternoon, so the four had some time to kill before they had to head out. Kazuto decided it would be the perfect time to introduce his brother to his well… _niece._ He supposed it was the correct term. After all, Yui was very much his daughter, even if she was an A.I. and was not his biological daughter. He knew when the time came, he would introduce Yui to Kai, but it was how to go about doing so that had him pondering. On one hand, he could just say "Hey Kai, I want you to meet my daughter," but he had a feeling that wouldn't go so well. Well… there was another way to go about it.

"Hey Kai…" he started, scratching the back of his head, "do you want to play some ALO?"

Kai looked surprised. Honestly, he hadn't been expecting that to come up. He was never really into games, especially since his music took up so much of his time. Really, it was a wonder Rima found so much time for reading when he was always responding to emails or writing new songs. If anything, the couple enjoyed playing retro games like Mario Kart and Sims when given the opportunity, but those times were few and far between. Full-dive gaming though? Kazuto really seemed to enjoy them though, and if he wanted to bond with his little brother, he supposed it wouldn't be too bad if he tried a little full-dive gaming.

"Sure," he replied, a small smile coming to his lips, "I've never played before though, so you gotta take it easy on me. I also have a few of those Amusphere consoles, in case you wanted to play while you're here."

Kazuto revealed a bright smile. "Actually, Asuna and I brought our own. Our avatars are saved to the hard drive, so we'll be using those."

Asuna and Rima looked excited at the prospect. "We should tell Liz and the others to get online too! That way everyone can meet Kai and Rima!" Asuna beamed, looking more excited than ever.

"If you'd like, we can make avatars for you two so that you don't have to worry about creating one. It can be a bit of a pain," offered Kazuto. Kai nodded at him, trusting his sibling.

They all agreed that it would be a great idea for Kai and Rima to meet the rest of Kazuto and Asuna's friends, even if it was in a game. Rika, Asuna knew, would be the most excited to meet two of Japan's most famous idols. She nearly flew through the roof when she heard word of who exactly was Kazuto's long lost brother. Keiko would most definitely enjoy the experience as well. She couldn't quite determine Klein or Agil's (she could _never_ remember their irl names, they were more Kazuto's friends than her own) position on the matter, but she could guess they wouldn't mind.

It only took a little while for the Amuspheres to get set up in the living room. Asuna and Kazuto took a few minutes on their own to create avatars for Kaito and Rima on their respective devices. It was decided that they would all play in the living room because of the numerous couches to lay on and so that they could all be in the same room. After Kazuto briefly filled the pair in on how to work the device and set up an account, they were all set up for their first full-dive experience. There was a simultaneous "Link START!", which Kai felt absolutely ridiculous saying out loud, before he was plunged into the digital world. There were flashes of what looked like multicolored rods for a few seconds and then suddenly he was standing in a clearing in what he assumed was a large forest. Looking down, he noticed he was wearing all black. A simple long-sleeved black t-shirt and loose-fitting black pants with black boots is what he wore. His hair was long, he noticed, reaching down to his waist.

In a flash of light, there was another character standing in front of him. She wore all green, his favorite color. Her dark green hair was short, reaching only her shoulders. She had cute pointed ears and wore tight-fitting light green shorts and a darker green blouse. Knee-high white boots were on her feet. She was absolutely adorable.

"Kai!?" the girl said, her hazel eyes widening at the sight of him.

"Is that you Rima?" he asked back. She nodded and ran up to hug him. "Where are we?" she asked, looking up at the clear sky.

"This is Kazuto's game, huh?" Kai stated, wondering where his brother could be.

There was a sudden fluttering noise and then two more characters joined them. Kazuto's character was recognizable instantaneously. The hairstyle and even facial features were exactly the same. Asuna's avatar threw the two off for a little bit, if only because her hair and eye color were different.

"Hey, how come you guys look like yourselves and I look like this?" exclaimed Kaito, gesturing down his body. He looked nothing like his real-world self, while Kazuto was a spitting image.

"It's a long story…" the Kirito avatar trailed off, scratching the back of his head. Thinking back to how much trouble it was to fully integrate his SAO avatar into ALO gave him a headache. "By the way, names work a little differently here. I go by Kirito. Asuna chose her real name for her avatar name, so you don't have to worry about hers. Kai, your avatar's name is Darren. And Rima, your name is Flora. I'll introduce you to everyone using your real names though."

There was a short flying lesson after the basics. They learned how to open the menu, access their inventory and control their wings. Rima took to the virtual world fairly naturally, but it was Kai who had trouble adjusting to the feeling of having wings and using spells and such. He stumbled his first time flying, reminding Kirito of his first days playing ALO. Meanwhile, Asuna and Rima had a gal of a time flying circles around each other. It took a little while longer than expected, but Kai eventually got the hang of his new wings and could fly straight and land without stumbling.

Once Kai and Rima had full control of flying, the four set out to the floating castle in the sky, where Asuna and Kirito's house was. It was also where all of their friends were awaiting them.

"That's where you live in-game?" Kai asked, looking in awe at the cabin surrounded by the beautiful landscape.

"Yeah. It's also where we lived for a while when we were stuck in the death game. Let's just say it was a wedding gift to ourselves," Kirito replied, glancing at down at his wedding band. It's been a while since his last full-dive, and he liked how he and Asuna were married in game. "Anyways, come on in. The others are waiting."

Rima looked at the building in front of her in quiet contemplation. This is the same house that those two spent what they thought was going to be the rest of their lives. It was cute, nothing compared to the huge estate she and Kai lived in, but she could see why Kazuto and Asuna chose this place. It was private, lakeside and had a cute little town just down the way. All in all, it was quaint and cute, and seemed perfect for the virtually married couple.

When the group entered the house, there were many more people than Kai and Rima had initially expected. There was a taller African-American fellow (assuming he was American), a red-haired man who looked roughly their age, along with four girls of varying heights and hair colors. There was a petite girl who was sitting on the couch with cat ears and honey colored hair that almost matched Rima's. Next to her was a taller girl with short pink hair. Standing near the corner of the room was another girl with cat ears and pale blue hair that was slightly lighter than Asuna's blue hair. And last but not least there was a tall, busty blonde girl who perched herself on the armchair. Kai scanned the room carefully, taking in each and every face and wondering if their avatars resembled their real life bodies like his brother's did.

"Well it's about time! You guys said for us to be here at two o'clock and its two-thirty now!" the pink-haired girl scowled before coming up to Kirito and whacking him upside the head.

"Sorry, Liz. We got caught up in teaching these two how to fly and stuff." Asuna apologized. Kirito snickered and smirked at his older brother.

"Yeah, it took a little longer for _some people_ to get the hang of it," he teased. Kai glared at his brother none-too-subtly.

"Well I suppose introductions are in order, then," the busty blonde said, getting up from her seat on the armchair. She extended her arm out to Rima first, "Hi, I'm Suguha, Kazuto's and well I guess now your cousin too, Kaito. In-game I go by Leafa."

Rima shook her hand enthusiastically. "It's so nice to meet you! I'm Rima Mikasa. Kazuto talks so much about you! He says you're mostly like siblings since you were raised together right?"

Leafa blushed but smiled shyly. "Yeah, we thought we were brother and sister for the longest time."

Kai smiled and shook her hand as well, introducing himself. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Kaito Kazami. I'd have to say it's strange not only finding out I have a brother I didn't know about, but a cousin as well."

"Trust me, it was a shock to us as well!" Leafa laughed, blushing ever so slightly. Internally, she whined. Why did both of her cousins have to be so handsome? Even Kaito's avatar was cute!

"Alright, Leafa, don't forget there's others we have to introduce as well today. We don't have too much time before we have to get back," Asuna said reasonably. She looked back to see Liz still pouting, Silica playing nervously with her tail, Sinon looking on with piqued interest, and Klein and Agil arguing about who gets to greet Rima first.

"Dude I saw her first so I get to say hi first!"

"No way, man! I get to say hi first!"

Soon they were all so caught up in the mixed introductions and greetings they didn't even notice another person had entered the room. She'd been taking a nap in the other room when all the commotion woke her up. Quietly, she yawned and tip toed her way to Kazuto's side, leaning ever so slightly into him.

Why are there so many people here today? She thought. It was even more than she was used to. The usual crowd was here, but there was something different. It almost seemed like there was _more_ of them. Feeling watched, Yui turned around and caught the gaze of a small green-haired woman, who was staring at her with great interest. Next to her was another avatar she didn't recognize. Her database told her all she needed to know about their avatars. The green-haired one was Flora, and the black-haired one was Darren. Level one players. Not many skills. Just who were these people?

"Kazuto, just who is this adorable little girl? Is she another one of your friends?" Flora squealed, jumping to Yui's side and nearly tackling her. Yui had to grip Kazuto's arm tight in order to keep herself from falling over.

"She looks a little young to be playing this sort of game, don't you think Kazuto?" Darren said, looking slightly disapproving. What was with all the questions?

Looking up into the face of her in-game Papa, all she saw was a look of nervousness and a hint of excitement. He caught her gaze and smiled down at her, reassuring her with his eyes that everything was going to be okay. Still, she wanted to know what was going on…

"Papa… who are these people?" she asked, moving so she was halfway behind him. There was a gasp and then a light thud.

"KAI! Honey, are you alright?"

Yui looked around Kazuto's arm to see Darren now sitting on the floor and rubbing his head. Flora was leaning next to him. Darren mumbled an "I'm fine, it's okay," before shooting a very disbelieving look at her Papa. She glared at the man from behind her Papa, but he paid her no mind. Flora smiled at her, a little too tightly for her liking, before also turning her gaze to Kirito.

"Kazuto, would you like to explain why this child identifies you as her father?"

 **Okay and that is all for Chapter 8. I hope the transition wasn't too rough when I transitioned to somewhat of a Yui POV. The end is pretty much in Yui's point of view so that's why she called Kai and Rima by their avatar names.**

 **I'd very much appreciate it if you'd review. It fuels my motivation!**


	9. Interlude

**It has been** ** _centuries_** **since I have updated this story, and for that you have my sincerest apologies. I know it sucks to wait so long for an update and by the time it comes you forget what the story was even about.**

 **My reason being, I'm still kind of working on where I want this story to go and how I want it to progress. This chapter is a major filler, I'm sorry. I'm not giving up on it though! I shall power through my writer's anxiety and finish it before the end of the year.**

 **Without further ado, I give you Chapter 9: Interlude.**

"Kazuto, would you like to explain why this child identifies you as her father?"

"Uh…" was all that found its way past Kirito's lips.

Crap. He was the one who was all dead set on letting Kai and Rima meet his daughter, and now he doesn't know how to properly introduce her! Full on panic set in as he tried to make something intelligent come out of his mouth, or at least something that would convince his brother that _no he did not father Yui the way they thought he did_. His mouth dried up as he racked his brain for a proper explanation. Damn it all, he should have known this wouldn't go smoothly.

Thankfully, Yui knew exactly what she wanted to say. "My name is Yui. I'm an artificial intelligence program in this world."

Relief seemed to spread throughout Kai and Rima's avatars at the realization that Kazuto didn't actually father a child. But this little revelation still didn't explain why the young girl called Kazuto 'Papa'.

This time it was Asuna who picked up on their lack of understanding. "Kirito and I met Yui in Sword Art Online, after we first got married," she said, a small blush staining her cheeks. "At first she didn't have any memory of who she was or where she came from, so she called us her parents and we kind of just went with it. We found out she was an AI later, after we tried looking for her parents. She's been our pride and joy since then."

Rima's eyes softened in understanding, "I see. Well that explains some. Sorry for reacting the way we did." Kai nodded along with her, getting to his feet.

"Hello there," Kai said, crouching down to meet Yui at eye level, "My name is Kaito Kazami. You can call me Kai if you want. I'm your, uh, papa's brother." He smiled somewhat awkwardly at the young girl, who gave him a sheepish smile in return.

He pointed at Rima, who was now crouching next to him, "This is my girlfriend Rima," he said with some pride in his voice. Rima smiled warmly and extended a hand towards Yui, who took it and shook it shyly.

Yui had a mixture of shock and confusion written on her face as she tried to comprehend the information being relayed to her. This new man, he was related to her Papa? He was her Papa's brother? She looked curiously towards her Papa, who was gazing down at her with the same softness he always had in his eyes, silently telling her _it's okay he's telling the truth._

"If you're really my Papa's brother… does that make you my uncle Kai? Like how I have an aunty Leafa?" she asked timidly, not quite meeting his eyes. She shuffled awkwardly, for the man was giving he her a look she didn't quite understand. It was something like shock mixed with endearment.

To her sudden surprise, he smiled at her, "Sure, I'll be your uncle Kai."

Overall, it seemed like Rima and Kai really enjoyed the childlike AI. They spent some time getting to know everyone. Rima got along well with the other girls in the group, each of them more than thrilled to have the chance to speak to a national pop sensation. Klein and Agil continued to argue over who should get to speak to Rima first, and Kai spent some more time with his brother and cousin. It was beginning to feel like they'd been there a while, though, so Kirito pulled up the menu so he could get a good look at the time.

"Uhh… Kai what time were we supposed to be at the tracks?" he inquired, looking to the older male who now had a spritely Yui perched on his shoulder. Kai's eyes widened, realizing that they've probably spent more time than necessary in the virtual world.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, earning himself a pointed look from both his girlfriend and the girlfriend of his brother, "I mean _shoot_. We should probably get going."

"What time is it?" Rima asked Kazuto. He gave her a weary smile. "It's two-thirty," he said.

Rima's eyes widened, "We're supposed to meet the others by three o'clock! I need to get ready!" In the span of about a second and a half, she hurriedly waved goodbye to the girls and logged out. Kai, Kirito, and Asuna politely bid their friends goodbye before joining her.

Going from a virtual reality to an actual reality was a dizzying experience for Kai. One minute he was looking at all these avatars in a VR video game and the next he's opening his eyes to his living room ceiling. His ears rang a little bit, but Kazuto had warned him that that was normal the first few times. After the ringing subsided, he could hear Rima ushering Asuna off of the couch she was laying on so the two could go and prepare for their outing.

"Did you have fun?" Kazuto asked sheepishly, moving to a sitting position on his couch.

Kai nodded, "Yeah, the whole thing was a new experience for me. No one here in the Okijama district is really into gaming, at least that I know of. After the whole Death Game incident, the trend really died out here, even though it came back in the larger cities. I had fun though, learning how to fly is cool."

"Yeah… Flying is awesome. I wish they had that when I was in SAO," said Kazuto

The more Kai thought about it, the more he realized he didn't know a large chunk of his brother's life. Kazuto had spent more than two years _in a video game_ , and had been fighting for not only his life, but for the lives of everyone that was stuck in Sword Art Online. When Kai was sixteen years old, he'd been more worried about making music and going to parties (hell, that's still all he thinks about), and his brother was out there trying to end the game for good. He remembered the pride that swelled up in his chest when Rima was telling him about an article she'd read online about Kazuto.

 _"_ _Local Tokyo resident Kazuto Kirigaya ends the Death Game crisis by confronting and defeating the creator of the game Akihiko Kayaba during a duel. Going by the avatar name, Kirito, he played a major part in clearing a majority of the levels in the game as well as discovering the true identity of top-player Heathcliff, who turned out to be Kayaba himself… Wow, Kai this is so intense. I mean look at all the things he's done, and he was only sixteen!"_

 _Kai smiled a little to himself, feeling so proud of his brother. His family was always known for their accomplishments. His mother had been a star in Japanese theatre, and his grandfather had been a world-renowned Kendo champion. His own music career paled in comparison to the rest of the Kazamis' accomplishments, including his little brother now._

Still, there was something a little terrifying (okay, a lot terrifying) about Kazuto having to experience something like that at such a young age. Surely it's a lot of pressure on a sixteen year old to have to save ten thousand other people.

Kazuto noticed the complicated look on his brother's face, "Something wrong, Kai?" he asked.

Kai just shook his head, offering a complicated smile. "I'm fine. I just can't believe you spent two years there, and all the things you did. You're pretty cool, you know?"

Kazuto's face heated a little, not ever being used to getting complimented, especially by an international rock star. "Ah, it wasn't all bad. I liked it most of the time, honestly. If you take away all the stress and life-threatening factor, that is."

He said it so nonchalantly that Kai almost choked on his melon water.

"WE'RE READY!"

Kai was still trying to catch his breath when Rima pulled Asuna into the living room, both wearing oversized t-shirts with graphic print (Rima's in yellow, Asuna's in hot pink) on them and small, black, spandex shorts. Rima had pulled her hair into a ponytail and accessorized with a pink baseball cap. Asuna chose to braid her hair off to the side and tie it with a bright yellow scrunchie.

"You guys look cute." Kazuto smiled, catching Asuna's hand as he moved towards her.

Asuna blushed uncharacteristically, mind still reeling from the events of last night. She had self-consciously moved to pull her shorts down when Kazuto caught her hand in his. It was almost surreal to be this normal with him after how close they had been just fourteen hours prior. Just how was he acting so normal anyways? Surely last night had to have affected him as much as it did her.

Meanwhile, Kazuto was oblivious to his girlfriend's troubles. He was excited to race! Or at least watch a race. He was still wondering what kind of car his brother owned and what Rima drove as well. What kind of track were they going to? Oh wait was Kai talking to him?

"-and like I said you two will be riding in my car since Rima's taking her own. I'd say you could ride with her if you wanted but…" Kai trailed off, not looking at his girlfriend directly, "I'd be concerned for your well-being if you chose to ride in a vehicle with her behind the wheel."

Rima slugged him one on the shoulder for that. Hard.

"I'm not a bad driver! You just like to drive like a grandma outside of races!"

"You shouldn't be driving twenty miles over the speed limit on the interstate, you're gonna get pulled over one day!"

"At least I get places on time! We're always late when you drive!"

"Because you take three hours to get ready. If we actually left at a decent time we'd make it on time and safely."

"…pussy."

Kai's eyes bugged. "Why you-?!"

Kazuto and Asuna stood back, watching the couple bicker like an old married couple. "We don't sound like that when we argue, do we?" Asuna whispered to him, leaning in close so he could hear.

Kazuto turned to her with a slightly incredulous look, "When do we ever argue?" he asked. Asuna merely shrugged, knowing he had a point there. She could count on one hand the number of times they've fought over the span of their two years together.

Rima finally seemed to be done arguing for the moment. She huffed out a "whatever" before heading in what Kazuto assumed was the direction of the garage. Kai let out an exasperated sigh and motioned them to follow. The garage was… over the top, to say the least. There was enough space for up to seven vehicles, but only three occupied the vast space. The first car was the newest Jaguar F-TYPE model, and it was sleek white in color. Kazuto had to stop himself from drooling, and Asuna looked impressed. Rima just smirked and picked up a set of keys from the key hook next to the door.

"I call him Jason. Jason the Jaguar," she winked, opening the door with the push of a button. Kai rolled his eyes at her antics.

Kazuto's eyes moved over to the next sports car sitting in the garage, briefly taking notice of the large Chevy Suburban parked at the far end. He assumed that was the large group's main mode of transportation, when they opted to not take a limo. The car stationed between the two vehicles though, was one to be marveled at. It was a Ferrari 2016 _Limited Edition_ F-12 TDF. A classic in Kazuto's eyes. Not much had changed in the last decade as far as how cars were made. Only the luxury technologies that came inside were upgraded. The engines and body were made the same as they had been ten years ago, and Kai's car was every bit as beautiful as he'd anticipated.

He kind of wanted to cry.

"Kai, honey, are you forgetting something?"

Rima leaned against the hood of her car, obviously smug. She jammed a thumb in the direction of Kai's baby. "Amour there only has two seats." She let loose a wicked grin as she pulled Asuna out of Kazuto's grasp and all but _threw her into the passenger seat_ of her Jaguar.

The speed at which the tiny blonde pulled out of the garage and raced for the driveway had Kazuto's own heart racing. It can't be safe to be going over fifty in a fucking driveway. Now it was only him and his brother (and the beauty that was _Amour_ ) in the vast parking space. Kai let out a little groan before hurrying to the driver's side.

"'Hurry the fuck up, I need to tail her to make sure she doesn't swerve all over the highway like a madwoman!" Kai shouted uncharacteristically, yanking his brother into the passenger seat.

Kazuto quickly shut the passenger door and pulled his seatbelt on. His heart melted a little as he heard the purr of the engine coming to life.

And he nearly had a fucking heart attack when Kai sped out of the driveway nearly as fast as Rima had. It was going to be an interesting day at the races…


	10. Races

**This chapter is all over the place and literally took me over three months to write, but HERE IT IS. Let me know what you think of my OC's. I literally spent like over seven years developing these characters, so I'd like to know what opinions you have of them.**

 **Enjoy!**

When Kai and Kazuto arrived at the complex where the races were to take place, Kazuto immediately took notice that the track looked damn near abandoned. There was a small building that they parked in front of and a large stadium behind it. It looked run down and he wouldn't trust his life to the stands on the left side, as they looked like they were about to fall apart. Kai didn't look concerned in the least about the state of the stadium, as he continued to follow Rima into a small garage on the east end.

Rima had sped the entire way here and, in consequence, so did Kai. It was pretty exhilarating going over 100 mph on the interstate, and Kazuto had a feeling the trip would have taken about half an hour longer if the two had been going by the speed limit. When the two sports cars were finally parked, Kazuto spotted Asuna practically leaping out of the Jag, looking as if she were about to kiss the ground.

"C'mon. We're actually on time," Kai smirked, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Kazuto stepped out of Kai's Ferrari and went to go calm down his girlfriend. It was only when he reached her that he realized that everyone else had already arrived and were standing next to their own impressive cars. Sam and Bryan had identical Corvettes, Sam's being bright red and Bryan's being a dark shade of navy blue, as expected of the stylish twins. Mari had a nice, silver Porsche. He couldn't tell if it was a racing car but it was definitely a beauty. Kyo was driving an impressive newest model Lamborghini, and it made Kazuto drool a little bit. It was sleek black in color and extremely low to the ground. Justin hopped out of a dark gray Ferrari that wasn't quite as extravagant as Kai's, but still impressive nonetheless. Ami was the only one without a vehicle.

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road people! We gotta impress these newbies, don't we?" Bryan smirked, leaning back on the hood of his Corvette.

It wasn't long before Kazuto and Asuna were ushered onto the bleachers on the east end of the stadium. It was just the two of them for a little while, until Tommy, Ryo, and Annie showed up. Ryo was smiling cheekily as he spotted the pair.

"It's nice to see you two sober. Quite a show you put on at the band hall last night," he smirked. Kazuto and Asuna blushed deeply in mortification. Annie snickered at the pair's expense.

Tommy groaned, "You guys are sick. Let's just watch the races."

"Don't be such a prude, babe," Annie snorted, pinching her boyfriend's side. He growled and smacked her hand away in response.

The races went off without a hitch. The track was pretty straightforward, two straights, two curves. Kazuto was a little surprised when a car he didn't recognize pulled up next to Justin's Ferrari. It was a neon yellow Camaro, a very American car. What was a car like that doing in Japan?

"Who is that?" he asked aloud, not sure who to expect an answer from.

Ryo gave him one. "If memory serves me right, that is Aaron Royce's car. He's a Latin-American rapper from Los Angeles. He's also Sam's on-off boyfriend."

Kazuto couldn't see the driver from where he was sitting, but once Justin's Ferrari crossed the finish line first, both cars came to a stop at the finish line and a man of impressive stature emerged from the Camaro. It wasn't necessarily the bright red hair that caught Kazuto's attention so much as the sharky smirk the guy wore. He was intimidating.

"Seems like Sam's type, doesn't he?" Asuna murmured from beside him. He had to agree, if there was anyone he could picture the feisty brunette with, it was this guy.

Two other people that Kazuto hadn't seen before soon made themselves known in the races. One was Aiden Cross, a Japanese-American rapper who was also Aaron's best friend. The two seemed to have a thing for bright colors because Aiden's car was a lime green Mustang. If Kazuto had to be honest, he'd say the car was hideous and he would never have chosen that for himself. Then again, he probably wouldn't have chosen to have dyed bright purple hair and a tongue piercing like Aiden had. Lastly, there was a slender girl with short, wavy black hair and bright green eyes. She glued herself to Aiden's side and waved her checkered scarf to signal the start of the race. She made it a point to plant a celebratory kiss on Aiden's cheek when he won the race against Bryan. Her name was Kira Akiyama, according to Annie. She was a rapper and music producer.

Ryo explained that the groups were rivals, even though they were all signed under the same record label. They produced many songs together, just as Rima's group did. He also explained that while Rima's group of friends produced music in a variety of genres, Aaron's group produced rap music almost exclusively.

"Do you guys make music too?" Kazuto asked, looking at the trio in interest.

"Sure. We're trying to become a band, you see. I play keyboard and provide the bass line when needed. Tommy here is a guitar prodigy, he might even be better than Kai. And Annie is a badass at the drums." Ryo smirked, quite proud of his group.

"So you guys are all set then? You're all ready to make music?" asked Asuna.

"Not quite," said Annie, "we're missing one very key component of a real band. Sure right now we each sing and play instruments on our own, but as a band we each have our own niche. No one here was really meant for vocals."

"Yeah and while we have everything we need instrumental-wise, we're missing a singer. I mean, we can all sing here, but we're better with our instruments. It's kind of hard to start a band without some vocals, ya know?" Ryo explained. Tommy and Annie nodded their heads in agreement.

It made a lot of sense, so Kazuto and Asuna nodded in understanding. "Sorry to hear that. So how long will it be before you guys find a singer? I'd love to hear you all play sometimes," he said.

"You guys should stop by our flat sometime then, we do a few sessions here and there just to make sure we're not out of practice. And we've been auditioning vocalists for a while now, and even though we've come across some great ones, none of them seem to really fit in with the rest of us," Tommy said, exasperated.

After chatting some more, and not really watching the races, Kazuto acquired all three of their phone numbers and they bid their goodbyes with promises of keeping in touch. Kai and Rima came to get the pair, Kai looking quite exhausted while Rima was beaming with pride as she counted a large wad of bills. Kazuto didn't know bets were being made, or that anything was wagered.

"It's just a few grand, but dinner's on me tonight! Don't mind Kai, he's just pouty because he only got to race once and they tied," Rima giggled, pulling Asuna's hand and leading the way towards Jason the Jag.

They picked up Korean barbecue, Rima's favorite, on the way back to the estate. It was nearing late evening by the time they left the complex, and it was dark by the time they reached the Kazami estate. Dinner was had rather peacefully, and was a nice end to the eventful day that they all had.

"So," Kai started, slurping up some kimchi, "Yui is wonderful. You both did a great job raising her, even though you adopted her when you were sixteen and she was four." Kazuto choked a bit on his pork at the underhanded comment.

"Yeah, she's super sweet! Do you guys go and see her often?" Rima asked, completely ignoring Kai's comments. Asuna smiled.

"We see her almost evert day! She's our pride and joy. I don't know if I'd have made it through Sword Art Online and being kept prisoner in Alfheim without her," she said.

"Yui was actually one of the only reasons I was able to rescue Asuna in the first place. I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without her admin capabilities," Kazuto explained, internally reminding himself to get Yui a much belated gratuity present.

Rima seemed excited to go back to the virtual world, nearly jumping out of her seat to go and grab her Amusphere. Kai looked less than thrilled at the prospect of going back into the world of Alfheim. It still bothered him a little that Kazuto had to endure two years in a virtual world under constant threat by being part of the assault team. Like what kind of teen has to go through something like that? He remembers being absolutely horrified when it was talked about all over the media two years ago. And to think his little brother was the one to save everybody…

"Hey I just got a text from Tommy," Kazuto announced just as everyone was congregating in the living room to do a virtual dive again.

"Wait, really? Since when are you guys all buddy-buddy?" Kai asked, perking an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Tommy, of all introverted teenagers, to be the one to initiate contact with his little brother. If anything, Kai was more worried that Tommy would see Kazuto as a replacement of sorts.

Kazuto waved him off, looking down at his phone to read the text. Asuna answered for him, "We all got to know each other down at the races. Ryo said it was nice to have more people their age around."

"Makes sense," Rima mused, "What'd he say, Kazuto?" Behind her, Kazuto was chuckling quietly at his cell phone screen.

"He said, 'You guys want to ditch the geezers and hang at our pad tomorrow?'" Kazuto snickered.

Rima paled. " _Geezer…"_ she whimpered, looking far more distraught than she should have. Kai made quick work of calming down the upset blonde.

Asuna peered down at her boyfriend's phone to verify the message. Tommy had, in fact, referred to Kai and Rima as 'geezers'. She had to admit he was much friendlier than she remembered him being the first time they met at the Band Hall. She might even go as far as to call him funny.

"Should we go?" she asked, looking at Kazuto. He shrugged, not really knowing how to respond himself.

"Well I think it's a good idea. Tommy's been studying guitar under me for a while now, and I'm glad he's making an effort to make you feel welcome instead of getting jealous like I thought he would…" Kai said thoughtfully.

"That's a good point, Kai. You guys should go! Those three usually keep to themselves, since they're a really tightknit group. I suppose if they're trying to get to know you it means they like you." Rima added.

"I guess so. Okay, I'll tell him we're coming," Kazuto replied, quickly typing a message to Tommy. A reply came a few seconds later. "He said Ryo will come and pick us up at nine. Why so early?" he wondered aloud.

Kai explained that the trio's apartment was in downtown Okijama, about an hour and a half away from the estate. He also stated that Ryo was the only one who owned a car, since Tommy and Annie only drove motorcycles, which Kazuto thought was badass.

"Can we dive now? I wanna see Yui again!" Rima pouted once all the plans for tomorrow were set.

The next morning Kazuto and Asuna were up bright and early to prepare for their day with Tommy and Co. Asuna was excited to have another girl around her age. Annie also wasn't as rambunctious as Rima, and that would be a breath of fresh air. She didn't know how much longer she could keep up with the tiny blonde's seemingly never-ending energy. Just how did so much energy fit inside such a small body anyways?! Kazuto seemed excited too, also for having people around that weren't four or five years older.

Ryo arrived in a white Lexus at precisely nine o'clock. When Kai mentioned that being painfully punctual was a quirk of Ryo's, neither Kazuto nor Asuna actually believed him.

"'Sup, newbies? Ready to hang with the cool kids?" Ryo smirked through the window as he pulled into the spacious driveway. "Hope you guys haven't eaten. Annie is making breakfast and she'll bitch if no one eats it. She always says she hates being domestic."

On the way to the apartment, Asuna and Kazuto learned that Ryo was actually a full time student, a freshman in university majoring in mathematics. When asked why he would study such a horrid subject full time instead of majoring in music or something, he said music came easy to him and that math was the only subject he found challenging. "It gets boring, ya know? Like if I took nothing but music or literature or even some sciences I don't feel like I'm learning. I read a lot when I was a kid. Bryan says I went through like three hundred and seventy-four books in a year when I was thirteen. He actually kept track, that asshole. But I didn't read a whole lot about math, so I like math classes because it's all new to me," he had explained.

They also learned that Ryo liked to talk. A lot.

All in all Kazuto had to say he liked Ryo. He was a cool guy, and was very easy to talk to even with his random soliloquies. Reading three hundred and seventy four books in one year though sounds insane. He could barely keep up with literature when it was required in his classes. They also learned that the whole punctuality quirk was a result of his musical training. Ryo had studied classical piano for the better part of his nineteen years, and timing was always something he struggled with when he would practice the more difficult pieces. When he perfected his timing, he applied it not only to music but to everyday life.

Fortunately, the trio reached the apartment complex before Ryo found the time to talk about his favorite composers. That was a conversation for another day, preferably when there was caffeine in Kazuto's system.

"Well, welcome to Casa de Tohomiko, Hollis, and Himi." Ryo grinned as he pulled the car up to the valet stand.

It definitely wasn't the kind of apartment complex that Kazuto was expecting, but then again, had anything been what he'd expected since he got here?

The complex itself was a large vertical building with what had to have been at least thirty floors. Marble floors and gold-plated counters and plush couches decorated the lobby. The doorman greeted Asuna with a rose and Kazuto with a warm biscuit. Ryo offered an employee in the elevator a keycard, which the man scanned quickly before taking them to the top floor; the penthouse.

Of course.


	11. The Band

**Yeah. I have no excuses, just completely forgot I was writing this fic. Still going with it though!**

"Look what the cat dragged in," Tommy smirked as the three walked into the penthouse. He was sitting in a lounge chair reading over some sheet music, cup of coffee in hand.

Asuna marveled at the high ceilings, marble tile and countertops, and how truly western the penthouse looked compared to Kai's more traditional Japanese estate. Overall, it was a beautiful place to live. Being on the top floor of one of the tallest apartment buildings in Okijama, the view was great. It was even better since one of the walls was nothing but floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There was a balcony off to the far right side, and a large kitchen to the left where Annie had made herself busy cracking eggs into a large bowl. The _large_ living room had a few couches, chairs, a large screen TV, and a guitar rack with several guitars lined up on it. Near the glass wall there was a large classical piano, which likely was used by Ryo. Asuna liked how open the space was, especially with only three people living there.

"Something smells delicious…" Kazuto mumbled beside her.

"Annie's cooking breakfast, western-style per my request. Hope you guys like pancakes!" Ryo said as he walked them over to the other side of the kitchen where there was a large glass dining table.

"I have to say, I'm happy to have a break from my own cooking. I'm starting to get tired of eating nothing but noodles and rice." Tommy added, also walking into the dining room.

Shortly, Annie came into the dining room holding two platters that she placed in the center of the table. She shot a look to Ryo and Tommy, who immediately surrendered and went to the kitchen to gather the rest of the food and drinks while she began to set the table.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Asuna suggested, but Annie merely waved her off.

"You're our guests! It wouldn't be cool of me to make you do work while you're here,"

"Consider yourselves treated, Annie's the best cook in the house. She just doesn't like to feed us," Ryo joked as he walked in with another platter in his hands. Tommy followed behind with a tray of mimosas.

"If I fed you guys all the time, you'd be spoiled and never cook your own food," the redhead retorted.

Kazuto found himself enjoying their little banter and chuckled as he piled his plate high with eggs, sausage, and pancakes. It truly was a western breakfast, with even champagne flukes for the mimosas. Was breakfast always such a formal affair here? Tommy just laughed when he asked.

"Oh gods, no. I usually go for some salmon and toast, while Ryo prefers his cup noodles. Annie's the only one who actually cooks her own breakfast," he said, sipping at his mimosa.

The five of them finished their breakfast with light chatter, most of it being them getting to know each other some more. It turns out Annie and Tommy decided not to follow through with school after they graduated high school. They focused on music all throughout high school and got signed to a record company, the same one Kai and Rima are signed to, as soon as they graduated. Ryo was signed as well, but he decided he also wanted to spend time in school. Kazuto was surprised to find out that Tommy had only been playing guitar since he was fifteen, but now he was recognized as one of the top guitarists in Southern Japan. He was also shocked to know that Annie's older sister, Kimiko, was actually the owner of the record label and she created it all by herself.

"That's crazy!" he exclaimed, excitement bubbling within him, "But you still had to work hard to get signed with her right?"

"Yeah, she was super uptight when I was younger. She always wanted me to focus on school before I got signed with her. But music was only second to school when I was growing up, so I basically grew up learning music with her," Annie explained.

"Wow, that's amazing. So is music like your passion?" Asuna asked, thinking about how it was growing up in a business household. Her mother always had the highest expectations of her, wanting her to go into business and commerce when she eventually went off to college. Was it the same for Annie?

"I guess so. I've never really done anything else, except for maybe martial arts. When it comes down to it though, I like to play music more," Annie said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

The rest of breakfast was had with much small talk, all three of the hosts asking various questions about the world of virtual gaming and their adventures, while Kazuto and Asuna delved into the minds of the famous teenagers. Before long, it was just the five of them hanging out in the living room while Ryo entertained them with a contemporary piano piece that he wrote all by himself. It was light and happy, with slower parts and if Kazuto was more musically inclined he might say it wasn't quite a masterpiece. But he's not musically inclined, so it was a masterpiece for him.

Asuna clapped politely when he finished, standing up from the piano and taking a short bow. "Thank you. I call that one _Autumn Nights_ ," he said.

"It was great. Composing music is no easy task," Asuna complimented. A small blush dusted over Ryo's cheeks as he thanked her once more.

"Well, I should probably hit the books. I have a text on Tuesday that I need to be prepared for. I'm sure Tommy and Annie can entertain you until this evening," he said. Annie and Tommy exchanged knowing looks.

"He doesn't take compliments well," Tommy explained once he left the room.

Asuna giggled. "It's okay. No one's more awkward that Kirito when it comes to taking compliments,"

Annie shot her a puzzled look. "Kirito?"

Kazuto blushed a little at his avatar name being used again in real life. It wasn't often that Asuna let it slip, but it usually got him recognized when they were in public. "It's my avatar name in the online community. When Asuna and I met, we only knew each other's avatars, so sometimes she still calls me Kirito," he explained. Asuna hid an embarrassed smile behind her hand.

"Yeah, sorry. It usually doesn't slip but we were talking gaming earlier so I must've got it stuck in my head," she apologized.

"I think it's cute," Annie chimed, letting Asuna relax a little.

The two took some time to explain their own relationship. They met when they were in high school, and Annie was put into the same music class that Tommy was in. Since they both went to the same high school that specialized in music and the arts, they had to take similar courses. Annie was the one to introduce Tommy to the guitar, and he fell absolutely in love with it, and also with her.

"One time I asked if he had to choose between me and the guitar, which would he pick. What do you think he said?" the redhead asked cheekily. An uncharacteristic blush found itself on her boyfriend's cheeks.

"Oh, my gosh, what did he say?"

When it became apparent that the room was about to be filled with female chatter, both boys decided it would be best to make themselves scarce. Tommy motioned for Kazuto to follow him into an adjacent room, where a lot of music equipment was set up. It looked like its own little recording studio, complete with several instruments, a mic, and an additional smaller soundproof room.

"Annie tends to get a little excited when there's other girls around. Hanging out with Ryo and I twenty-four seven seems to have deprived her from some genuine girl time," Tommy said seriously, picking up an acoustic and settling himself on a stool.

"Asuna was kind of like that too, for a while. Of course, she had our friend Liz and some of the other girls in SAO, but being on the assault team, normally she was forced to hang out with a bunch of dudes," Kazuto said, plopping down on one of the chairs.

Tommy hummed, plucking at some strings on the guitar. "She seems like she'd be the ball-busting type, kind of like Annie. I'm sure she had no problems dealing with a bunch of guys," he joked.

Kazuto was finding that it was surprisingly easy to converse with the other male. He didn't talk as much as Ryo did, just nodded and said just enough to keep the conversation going. Silences weren't awkward with him, just peaceful and filled with small chords here and there. They talked more about their girlfriends, what each other's lives were like, and them some about Kai. Tommy mentioned that he saw Kai kind of like an older brother, and that he hoped it didn't bother him.

"Why would that bother me? I can see that he's very much the 'brotherly type'," he replied, making air quotes around the words "brotherly type".

Tommy shrugged. "I dunno. At first it bothered me a little that Kai had an actual little brother that he was bringing around. I didn't think you'd be this cool and all, but mostly I was worried that he wouldn't see me as a little brother anymore…"

Kazuto allowed himself a small smile. Tommy definitely seemed like the strong, silent type at first, but that definitely wasn't the case. He guessed they sort of had that in common. "Well, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. It's only been a couple of days, and honestly, I don't feel like I know Kai very well. He's very different from what I imagined," he admitted.

"What did you imagine he'd be like?"

It was Kazuto's turn to shrug. It was a little embarrassing to admit what he originally thought Kai would be like. "I don't know. I thought he would be like the ' _too cool to talk to anyone'_ type. I'm not sure why I thought that, but it fit the image at the time."

"Eh, you're not really wrong," said Tommy, not looking up from plucking at the guitar. "He was pretty much just like that, until he met Rima."

Kazuto could very well see where Tommy was coming from. The small blonde seemed to have that effect on others, bringing them out of their shells. She definitely managed to get Asuna more out of her shell. It was easy to see that she had something to do with Kai's apparent change in personality.

"She's really sweet. I'm glad Kai has someone like that to take care of him," he said softly. Tommy offered a small smile.

"I'm sure Kai feels the same way, about Asuna I mean."

"Yeah, she's great. I'm not really on my own though. I still have my aunt and cousin back at home, and I grew up thinking they were my mom and sister. Kai didn't have that, just my grandad. And when he passed… well I'm glad that he had Rima to get him through all of that..."

"Yeah. Now we're all just waiting on them to get married," Tommy said, rolling his eyes. Kazuto laughed, though he had to admit that it would be cool to get to see his brother get married.

The duo chatted for a while longer before falling into a comfortable silence. Kazuto stayed sipping flavored water while Tommy messed with tuning on another one of his guitars. Once he was satisfied with the tuning, he began strumming a few chords of one of Kai's less popular songs. It was one that the older male had written in high school, and it was only a bonus track on one of his earlier albums. Tommy was thoroughly surprised when Kazuto began singing the lyrics to said song.

" _There is no combination of words that I could put on the back of a postcard…"_ he began, singing somewhat quietly, but loud enough for Tommy to hear, " _No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart…"_

 _"Our dreams, and they are made out of real things…"_ he continued, voice getting a little louder as he gained confidence.

Tommy was surprised at how smooth the other boy's voice was. It meshed with the music perfectly, and it was nearly flawless technically speaking. He definitely got the voice genes that Kai also had. Damn, talent really did run in that family. He had to admit, he was a little jealous of the dark-haired boy. But also… a voice like his is really one they could use in their band.

Kazuto looked up questioningly as Tommy stopped strumming the guitar. "Why'd you stop?"

"You have a great voice, man. I don't compliment people all the time, so don't take this lightly. You're really good," Tommy said, looking at the other boy seriously. Kazuto blushed. It wasn't often that he got complimented on something like his singing. It was a little weird, but nevertheless he felt a surge of pride rush through him.

"Thanks," he replied, "I must have gotten that from my mom's side. I heard she used to sing as well."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah. Hey how many of Kai's songs do you know?"

Kazuto thought about it. He'd spent a lot of time the past few days listening to Kai's albums. It's likely he's heard most of them, but he only knew a few by heart. "Um, I know maybe like five songs of his by heart. I'm sure that by the end of the week I'll know more though."

"Hm, alright. Well, here's an easy one. Do you know _Impossible_ by James Arthur?" the brunette inquired, a certain look in his eye that Kazuto couldn't exactly place.

He knew the song. It was American, but he loved it. It was one that he hummed when doing the dishes, and belted when he was in the shower. He knew the song very well, but he didn't know what Tommy's sudden interest was.

"Yeah, I know it. Why?"

Tommy pushed himself off of the stool and began making his way back into the living room, taking his guitar with him. "Come with me, dude."

Soon, Kazuto found himself seated on the couch again, with Tommy on his right and Asuna on his left. Tommy, for one reason or another, had called Ryo back into the living room. Now they were all seated on the couches and Tommy asked him to sing.

"Uh, I really don't—" he started, but Tommy just shook his head and smirked.

"Trust me, man. They'll want to hear this," he said, putting his fingers in positon and beginning to strum the familiar chords.

Kazuto took a deep breath. " _I remember years ago, someone told me I should take caution when it comes to love, I did."_

He looked over at Asuna, who was looking at him with a mixture of shock and appreciation. He forgot to mention that he wasn't a bad singer to her, whoops. " _And you were strong and I was not. My illusion, my mistake, I was careless, I forgot, I did…"_

The others in the room looked on with excitement, Tommy especially. It seemed that their search for the perfect vocalist was now over. The younger Kazami brother had all the vocal talent of his older brother, and he meshed well with their friend group.

Kazuto, becoming nervous about everyone staring at him so intently, closed his eyes as he prepared to sing the chorus. It was a very raw and rugged part of the song, and he allowed his voice to get a little raspy as he climbed the notes. " _Tell them all I know now. Shout it from the rooftops. Write it on the skyline. Tell them I was happy, and my heart is broken, all my scars are open. Tell them what I hoped would be impossible…"_

Tommy stopped strumming and Kazuto opened his eyes and scanned the room around him. All three musicians had giddy smiles on their faces. Asuna was definitely still shocked but immensely pleased. He flushed a little, not used to so much attention because of his voice. He didn't think he was _that_ good.

Annie smiled. "I vote yes."

"Me too," said Ryo. Kazuto blinked, confused. What exactly were they voting on?

"It's unanimous then," Tommy concluded with a smirk. "Welcome to the band, Kaz."


	12. Confirmation

**What? She's uploaded twice in the same month?** ** _Unheard of._** **Really though, this is me making up for all the neglect I've given the story and all of you guys. So enjoy!**

"Welcome to the band, Kaz."

Kazuto spluttered. What band? He didn't know he was auditioning for a band! "Wait, what?"

Annie leaned in slightly in her seat. "You have the best voice we've heard in a while. It's on par with Kai's, really. Please say yes, because I do _not_ want to go through auditioning another thirty vocalists when I feel like you already fit in with the rest of us," she pleaded.

Even though he was flattered, Kazuto felt that it wasn't the kind of decision he could make right away. "I don't know, you guys. I mean, I'm not even from here. I'm from Tokyo and being in a band is kind of a big commitment. I'd have to move away, and be away from Asuna and—" he rambled, finding any excuse to deter these people from thinking he was the right person for the job.

It was crazy. They were crazy! He didn't even think he was that great of singer, but they were all looking at him like he was a god that had come down to bless them with his presence. He could carry a tune, sure, but perform? It wasn't like he was shy but would he be able to stand up in front of people and sing?

"Dude, chill. This isn't a big deal. If you don't want to do it, no one's forcing you. But give it a shot first?" Ryo reasoned, seeing the panicked look on the dark-haired teen's face.

"Yeah. Why don't you just perform one gig with us? If it doesn't work out or you don't like it, then we won't ask you again. But think of it as like…a sneak preview?" said Annie.

Kazuto looked towards Asuna, who hadn't said anything so far. "What do you think?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and Kazuto was sure she'd tell him not to do it. If he became a part of their band, he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her. All of his spare time would go to rehearsing with them. It was all too much to take in at the moment.

"I think you should do it," she said finally. His eyes snapped to hers. "I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity babe. You can't not try it out,"

Even though he was still unsure, he was glad to hear that side of the argument. This was a really good opportunity, and a rare one at that. But still, this whole trip was turning his world upside down. If Asuna said he should do it, then he supposed it was probably the best way to go. He trusted her opinion that much. The others looked so hopeful too. He couldn't find it in himself to let them down.

"Okay, fine. I'll perform with you guys for _one_ gig. Then we'll see where it goes from there," he agreed. Tommy pumped a fist in the air and Ryo hollered excitedly.

"Dude! This is gonna be so _legit_. You're gonna love it. Trust me, you were born for this!" Ryo exclaimed. Annie giggled a little at the boys' excitement before shooting Kazuto an excited grin, "We're happy to have you on board," she said simply.

On the ride back to the estate, Kazuto wondered what Kai and Rima would say about the news. He hoped they would be as excited and supportive as Tommy and them. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. Music was never something he ever really explored, but this was Kai's life. He lived and breathed music. Maybe if he stepped into the world of artists and musicians, he'd be able to relate to his brother that much more.

Rima was ecstatic to hear the news. Kazuto didn't think she could get any bubblier and happier, but he was proved wrong by the giddy, girlish squeal that escaped her when he told them the news. Nevertheless, he was glad to have her support, especially since Kai seemed to be a little more on the weary side.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It's a big step, you know?" his brother inquired for what seemed like the tenth time.

Kazuto nodded. "It's just an experimental gig, so I don't really see the harm. Tommy said if I didn't like it, he wouldn't force me,"

At this, Kai smirked. "Of course, that kid would be the one to convince you. Well, if you're sure that this is what you want, I say go for it. I'll fully support whatever you decide to do in the end."

Satisfied, Kazuto pulled out his phone to text Tommy and let him know. It felt like this was all happening so fast, he couldn't really wrap his head around it. Tommy and the rest of them were terrific musicians and have dedicated most of their lives to music, and here he was with no technical training whatsoever and they think he's good enough to be the missing piece of their band.

"Say Asuna?" he called over to her.

At the present moment, they were just lounging in the bedroom together while Kai and Rima prepared dinner for the four of them. It was pretty much the only downtime they've had since they arrived in Okijama. Asuna looked up from the book she was reading to her boyfriend, who was laying on his back with his hands behind his head and a certain look on his face she was getting accustomed to seeing.

Kazuto tended to overthink things. It happened more often than she would have liked, but it was always easy to tell when he had something on his mind. Thankfully, he never seemed to have a problem sharing things with her. Communication was one of their strong points, and for that she was grateful.

"Yeah?" she answered. He shifted his eyes over to her, but stayed in the same position.

"Do you think I'll be okay? Singing, I mean? It's… not something I usually do in front of people…" he admitted, a light blush on his cheeks.

"I think if you're as confident as you are with anything else you do, you'll be fine. Just have fun with it," she told him, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, "and if all else fails, just find me in the crowd. I'll be cheering you on no matter what."

Kazuto smiled and turned his face to meet her lips in a chaste kiss. "Thanks, Asuna. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Dinner consisted of homemade sushi that Kai and Rima expertly rolled, some miso soup, and ice cream for dessert. Kai had said that Rima had a thing for "family dinners" and homemade meals. Asuna was much of the same way, even though dinners were a less social affair at her house. She liked eating with Kazuto's family for that reason. Suguha and Kazuto always made dinner such a lively affair with their sibling banter. Now though, she had Kazuto and Kaito's sibling banter to entertain her. Rima was a little ball of energy too, always having something to contribute the conversation.

"And then he said ' _Rima, will you go to prom with me?'_ and it was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me!" the small blonde chattered, reminiscing about her and Kai's high school days.

"Wow, that's a really cute story. I didn't know you guys went to high school together," said Asuna. Kai nodded.

"We knew each other for a long time before that, though. We had a mutual friend named Daniel who introduced us. He lives in America now, but basically we all met when we were like eleven or something?" Kai told them. Kazuto shook his head in disbelief.

"That's crazy though. So, you guys were really good friends basically since you were kids,"

Kai laughed. "Oh heavens no. Rima and I didn't like each other much until, what? Like junior year?"

"Yeah, your brother here had some sort of superiority complex in his younger days," Rima snorted, "He always thought he was too cool to talk to me,"

"Okay, okay. Let's not relive some of my less than flattering moments, shall we?" he mumbled, "Besides, I think there's something more important that needs to be discussed tonight," he said, eager to remove himself from the topic of conversation. He shifted his gaze to his younger brother.

"I talked to Sam and Bryan earlier today, and they've agreed to let you and the others debut your performance at the Band Hall," he stated, looking at the teen seriously, "Take a moment and think about how big of a deal this is…"

Kazuto stared wide-eyed at his brother. When Tommy had listed off the venues where they could perform, it was all smaller places with a crowd of less than a hundred people. The Band Hall wasn't even mentioned, since the club was so exclusive and pretty much anyone who was anyone went there. Even on slow nights, the club still had a minimum of three hundred people packed inside. There would be _that_ many people watching him perform for the first time? And of course, everyone who went there had already made a name for themselves in one way or another. Talk about the pressure!

"D-Do the others know about this?" he stuttered out.

Kai shrugged. "I haven't gotten around to telling them yet. Do you want to be the one to break the news? I'm sure they'll be through the roof."

After dinner, Kazuto set out to make said call to his fellow bandmates. He sat perched on the edge of his and Asuna's bed, phone in hand, but too psyched out to dial the number. He was, in all honesty, a little scared of how the others would react. He didn't think they'd be scared of performing, no not in the slightest. After all, each of them already has some sort of background with performing music. He was the odd one out when it came to those matters. He was more afraid that the excitement would overtake them and they would forget it's his first time performing.

He took a deep breath and dialed Tommy's number. The brunette boy picked up on the third ring.

"Yo, what's up?" came his voice from the other end of the line.

"Hey, so… about the performance. Did you have any particular venue in mind yet?" he asked, starting off simple. Telling him that they'd be performing at the hottest venue in southern Japan just didn't roll off the tongue.

"Hmm... well I had my mind on the Iron Jungle, but I might have missed my window to book us a gig. We'll probably just end up taking whichever place has a spot for us," Tommy explained, which made perfect sense.

"Um, yeah about that," Kazuto started, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Kai sort of pulled some strings when he heard the news. He told Sam and Bryan about the whole debut and they said they could book us at the Band Hall… if you guys would like…"

The other line went silent for a long time. Kazuto actually started to worry that he'd put the other boy into some state of shock. Finally, after a long pause, he got a reply.

"Are you serious? Really man, you can't fuck with me about this sort of thing,"

Kazuto, in a way, wished he was pulling his friend's leg. But this was the scary reality. "No, man. I wouldn't kid with you on this. We have the spot if you want it," he said.

He thought he could practically hear Tommy vibrating with excitement on the other line. "You-I mean- fuck, _of course_ we're in! Do you even know how big that is?"

Evidently, the brunette's excitement was contagious, as Kazuto could feel a giddy smile forming on his own face. It was really huge, the opportunity they were given. And it wasn't one that they could have gotten on their own. He so owed Kai now. "Yeah, I figured it was kind of a huge deal. Kai mentioned Thursday was a good night, does that work for you guys?"

"I mean I'll have to check the schedule but…. Aw, fuck it. Nothing would be more important than the gig. But… one more thing. You sure you're cool with this. I mean you mentioned you never performed before…" Tommy said hesitantly, trailing off.

Kazuto took a moment to think. He was glad that Tommy caught that and was concerned, but he'd already agreed to perform the gig and if they didn't have a vocalist, they couldn't perform. There was no way he'd be able to let these guys down. He was mostly worried about screwing up the set, but now that there was so much pressure, he didn't want to mess up even more. He decided, that for everyone's sake, he would do his best to not screw up anything, even if it meant rehearsing for hours on end.

"I'm in. You're right, this is a huge opportunity, and not just for me," he confirmed.

The other male's relief was nearly tangible. "Thanks, man. You're a Rockstar for doing this for us."

Kazuto hung up the phone with an odd mixture of anxiety and excitement over the upcoming performance. He hoped he'd be able to shake his nerves before he actually got on stage. He had had no problem singing in front of Tommy and the others, but those were his friends, even if he hadn't known them for very long. There was something very different about performing in front of hundreds of strangers rather than in front of a small group.

The performance was set to occur Thursday night. Since it was Sunday, that gave them around four days to prepare a set. Tommy said that he and Ryo had already written the lyrics and they had around four songs that they could play. It was a decent set, and if he rehearsed often enough, he was sure he could nail all of them by the time Thursday night rolled around. Tommy even got permission from Kai to use one of the estate's many rehearsal rooms over the week to rehearse, and stay overnight so Kazuto and Asuna wouldn't have to make the drive down to downtown Okijama every day.

It seemed like everything was falling into place.

Asuna was excited for him. As little as she'd heard him sing, she knew he had a stellar voice and she wanted to hear more of it at all times. Kai was a little less vocal about his enthusiasm, but Kazuto could tell that he was intrigued. Kai had never heard his little brother sing, but Tommy's group was very picky when it came to their vocalists so he knew that Kazuto had to be good. He was proceeding with caution, not knowing how Kazuto was with performing in front of people in general. Rima held the most enthusiasm, nearly bouncing off the walls in her excitement. She offered to help him rehearse one-on-one, and also gave him some tips on how to conquer stage fright, should he find that he had it. Overall, Kazuto could say he was looking forward to Thursday more and more.

It was sure to be an interesting night.


	13. Rehearsals

Rehearsals were killer.

That was all that had to be said about the subject. What made it even worse was that while he was able to stay in Okijama until after the gig (or whenever he decided he wanted to come home), Asuna's presence was requested back in Tokyo, so she had to jet off Monday morning with promises of being there on Thursday for his performance. At least Kai was generous enough to offer to fly her out the day of. Still, he had to deal with being alone with near-strangers for another four days.

Tommy and the gang had shown up promptly at ten on Monday morning, just an hour after Asuna left for the airport. The four of them were treated to a hearty breakfast of waffles before they were sent off to do some rehearsing. And there is definitely something to be said about the way Tommy could switch personalities when it came to rehearsals. The guy was a damn tyrant.

They didn't take more than ten five minute breaks through the entire 12-hour rehearsal schedule. They were spared only thirty minutes to scarf down a small lunch before they went back to rehearsals. It was grueling and Kazuto was sure he didn't want to hear any of these songs after Thursday night. They spent all twelve hours on Monday working on the first song, and while the rest of the band had nailed their instrumental parts, Kazuto was still having trouble with memorizing the lyrics. About twenty times one of the band members had to remind him of the lyrics. But at about the tenth hour, he finally had the song down and he knew the lyrics like the back of his hand.

Tuesday was a little less grueling, if only because this time it was Ryo who wrote two of the songs they would be singing and the lyrics had a basic structure that was easy to memorize. Tommy may be a poet, but Ryo had his own way with words. The band already knew their instrumental parts to this song, so they were able to focus solely on helping their new member memorize the lyrics. Ryo was also much easier to work with than Tommy. He was laid back and wanted to make sure that Kazuto was comfortable.

"You just gotta feel the music, dude. Once you've got that, you're golden," the brunette boy had said.

Kazuto felt a little better after hearing some advice from Rima and Kai as well. The two were well versed in memorizing lyrics and taught him all of their performance techniques. Rima even offered up some advice on what to do if he had stage fright, though he wasn't really as worried as he was in the beginning. Asuna was right, if he performed as confidently as he did anything else, he would be just fine.

" _I drove by all the places we used to hang out getting wasted…"_ he sang softly into the microphone with Tommy strumming softly on the guitar. " _I thought about our last kiss, how it felt, the way you tasted. And even though your friends tell me you're doing fine,"_

They were rehearsing one of the slower songs that Ryo had written, and the lyrics almost made Kazuto want to tear up a little. There weren't many instrumentals in this song, just two guitars which Tommy and Annie played. He and Ryo were singing the main vocals. It would be the only slow song they would perform on Thursday, and Tommy warned him that because the song was slower, it would be more obvious if one of them messed up.

" _Are you somewhere feeling lonely even though he's right beside you? When he says those words that hurt you do you read the ones I wrote you?"_ Ryo joined in, his voice low and melancholic. He really did have quite the voice, and it sort of made Kazuto wonder why they even bothered looking for another vocalist when they already had someone so talented.

It was songs like this that Kazuto liked to sing the most. It was easy for him to project the emotion that they wanted to go with the song into the lyrics that he sang. He didn't know heartbreak yet, but he could still feel the raw emotion in the words that Ryo sang and he did his best to mimic it. Kai had told him that one of the hardest parts of singing was projecting feeling into the song, but to him it came naturally. This new song, _Amnesia_ , was so prominently heartbreaking and melancholic, and Kazuto was glad that he and Ryo could do the lyrics justice. He hoped that one day he'd be able to write songs that had that level of emotion.

Wednesday was another Tommy day, but it definitely wasn't as bad now that he knew what to expect. They sang more upbeat songs, with a simple lyric structure so the words were easy to memorize. Rima worked with him on being energetic on stage. Apparently that was a large part of performing, especially when they sang one of their faster and more energetic songs. The audience wouldn't be psyched about the song if they weren't psyched about it.

"Don't worry too much about it, though. Rima sings mostly pop songs, so she has to have a lot of energy," Tommy told him during one of their infrequent breaks.

"I don't know how anyone has as much energy as Rima. I'm glad I'm not expected to act like the Energizer Bunny on stage," Kazuto sighed.

Tommy quirked his lips. "Well, yeah. But with that being said, you still need to make the audience excited about the song. I know you can do it though, so don't freak out over it. We got this," he finished with a fist bump.

The song they were closing the night with was _Social Casualty_ , Kazuto's favorite. It expressed how people his age usually felt, young enough to be treated like kids but expected to make adult decisions. He agreed with Tommy's lyrics one hundred percent, and it was easy for him to feel passionate about singing it. He had the lyrics down in about two hours and Annie had commented that he was getting good at picking up song lyrics, but he could argue that he really just liked the song.

" _So save me from who I'm supposed to be. Don't wanna be a victim of authority, I'll always be a part of the minority. Save me from who I'm supposed to be. So tell me, tell me, tell me what you want from me, I don't wanna be another social casualty,"_ he belted out in the small practice room.

Had the room not been designed to absorb sound, he was positive his voice would have been bouncing off the walls from volume. He himself was a little shocked at how he sounded when he sang. A few days ago, he would've questioned if he would be able to hit those high notes, but now there was no doubt in his mind. He was going to perform this song, and all the others he'd rehearsed, to their fullest potential. There was no way he'd let his new bandmates down.

Thursday was a living nightmare.

It was the night of the performance, and Tommy was letting his nerves get to him, thus putting more stress on Kazuto. The guy was a mess, concerned about anything and everything that could go wrong. For once, Ryo was absurdly calm and Annie was quiet. It kind of balanced out how he and Tommy were feeling at the moment. They rehearsed nearly every second in the morning, only to have Kai come and shut their rehearsals down, claiming they shouldn't put any extra strain on their vocal chords. It was bad enough that they'd been rehearsing for three days straight. Kazuto winced, thinking of what would happen if one of them lost their voice the night of their big debut.

Rima made them all drink tea with plenty of lemon and honey, making sure they used their voices as little as possible. She and Kai made lots of food for their early dinner, which was at three because _you don't want to have food in your stomach right before your first performance, you'll be more nauseous than ever._ Kazuto didn't expect this much preparation to go into one performance, one night, but Kai explained that that's usually how it went, especially when you're performing at a venue as big as the Band Hall.

"Be lucky you're not on tour, too. That's the most hell, having to deal with all that shit and being on a damn tour bus," the older male commented, just a few hours before they were supposed to leave.

Kazuto and Kai were lounging on the deck beside the pool, fully dressed and ready to leave in spite of it only being seven in the evening when their show didn't start until eleven. Kazuto wore all black, just like his days in Sword Art Online. Black pants, black belt, black t-shirt, and black sneakers to top it all off. Annie said the color suited him, and that she wouldn't be surprised if he chose to only wear black ever. Kai wore a black sports coat over a white t-shirt and some dark washed jeans.

"But going on tour sounds like so much fun, getting to see all those cities," Kazuto said, but Kai shook his head.

"Trust me, you're so busy you don't even get to enjoy the traveling. It's more like working 24/7 than being on vacation," he replied.

Rima came outside with a Smirnoff for herself and a beer for Kai. She offered to go back inside and get something for Kazuto ("Something for the nerves? I know Tommy and Ryo are gonna take a couple shots before we go," she had said) but he quite adamantly refused. There was no way he was experienced enough with drinking to trust himself to perform well with it in his system.

"How are you feeling? Are you ready?" she asked with a kind smile as she cuddled into Kai's side.

Kazuto shrugged. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. We rehearsed like hell all week and I'm not gonna let it be for nothing,"

He was feeling surprisingly calm now that he was no longer in the presence of a certain stressed out brunette guitarist. He doubted he would feel the same when they actually got to the club and saw how many people there were, but for now he was at peace. Kai and Rima coached him through his nerves all week and now he was seemingly prepared for what was to come. The fact that he was performing with three experienced musicians gave him some solace too. They were all freaking out in some way, and they've all been musicians for quite some time.

"We can all talk and act like we do this all the time, but it never really changes. I still get nervous before I go on stage, it's completely normal," Rima assured him.

An hour later he got a video call from Asuna, who looked like she was at the airport. Her flight was delayed an hour so she wouldn't be able to travel with them to the club, but she assured him that she would still get to see his performance and hopefully spend some time with him after. Unfortunately, her parents still had some business in Kyoto so she had to leave again early in the morning.

"I'm glad I'll be able to see you, at least. I miss you," he told her, loving the way her blush spread down her neck as he said it. He'd never get tired of seeing her blush.

"I miss you too, Kirito," she said, not quite looking at the screen. "I'll see you tonight though, after the performance."

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm already looking forward to it."

Asuna's face took on a curious expression. "Say, Kirito, have you thought about what's going to happen after the performance? Are you going to stay in Okijama with the band and your brother?"

Kazuto sighed. It's all he'd been thinking about the past few days. He never imagined he'd be given the chance to sing and perform with a band on-stage. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and judging by the connections and talent that they all had, he had no doubt in his mind that they'd make it big. He could potentially make it big too, if he chose to stick around. But that was an awful lot to ask from someone his age, and after all he'd just been through. He sort of still longed for a normal, less hectic lifestyle, but he couldn't deny that he was having fun living the life of a potential rock star.

"I don't know yet. Hopefully after tonight I'll finally have my answer, but so far I really like it here. Kai's great and so is everyone else, but I'd also be leaving a lot behind…" he trailed off.

"Well, I want you to know that you have my support in whatever you decide to do. I'm sure everyone back home feels the same way. Have you told them yet?" Asuna asked, cocking her head to the side.

Kazuto grimaced. "Haven't really gotten around to it, to be honest. I'll tell them after the performance tonight, when I've made my decision."

Talking to Asuna was really doing the job of calming his growing nerves. He wasn't necessarily stressed about the show anymore, but more about the decision he was expected to make by the end of it. There was just so much to weigh. He had friends and family back in Tokyo, and a degree he wanted to pursue. If he moved here and continued to be a part of the band, it was going to be a full-time job. Thinking about it, the cons drastically outweighed the pros in this situation, but some part of him really wanted to stay, to see what he could make of this.

When his phone call with Asuna ended, he was surprised to see Rima sitting by herself in the living room, reading a book while the others hung out on the patio outside.

"Hey," he greeted as she looked up briefly from her novel to acknowledge him, "what are you doing in here all by yourself?"

"I usually like to have some downtime before we go out," she said simply, not removing her eyes from the words on the page.

Kazuto sighed and sat down on the couch adjacent to hers. The night hadn't even started and he was already exhausted. There was still so much thinking to be done, but look at all the good that had done him. He weighed all the pros and cons and still couldn't make a decision. The rash and impulsive side of him really wanted to do it, wanted to see what it'd be like.

"Still having trouble deciding?"

Kazuto looked up to see Rima had put her book down and was looking at him with some concern. "That obvious?" he sighed, falling back into the cushions.

"Just a little," Rima smiled, "you know I never actually decided to become a pop star, right?"

Kazuto furrowed his brow, "But didn't you and Kai go to an artsy high school or something?"

"Well, yeah. But that's high school. I chose to go there because I liked to sing and it sounded like fun, way more fun than math and science. But I didn't know how many doors would be opened for me, and before I knew it, I found myself with the opportunity to sing in front of Annie's sister, Kimiko. She wanted to sign me, and then I just kind of fell into this lifestyle," the small blonde explained, looking wistful as she remembered her old life. "It happened for Kai in much the same way. Your grandfather left a career for him, a dojo to take care of. But instead of doing everything that made sense, that was secure, he chose to follow his dreams and focus on music. And it happened for him. It's happening for you too."

Kai was left astounded at the way Rima seemed to tell him everything he wanted to hear. He still needed to perform and get that experience before it was set in stone, but he had already pretty much decided on what he was going to do. Back in SAO, any uncalculated move could have gotten him killed, so he let logic lead the way. Now he was being given the chance to follow his heart instead of his brain, and he really wanted to do this.

Screw logic, he had the opportunity of a lifetime.


End file.
